Operational Assessment of 20 Northeast Groundfish Stocks, Updated Through 2014

• Main Author: Northeast Fisheries Science Center U.S.
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Northeast Fisheries Science Center (U.S.) 2015
• Subjects: Groundfish fisheries > Research > North Atlantic Ocean.; Fish stock assessment > North Atlantic Ocean.; Garm; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.7289/v5qc01g3; https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/5293

Assessments for all 20 groundfish stocks (Table 1) in the New England Fishery Management Councils (NEFMC) Multispecies Groundfish Fisheries Management Plan were updated and reviewed during September 14-18, 2015 at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), Woods Hole, MA. This represents the fourth comprehensive assessment of the status of all the groundfish stocks since 2001. The first three comprehensive assessments were produced through the Groundfish Assessment Review Meeting (GARM) process (NEFSC 2002, 2005, 2008). Thirteen of the groundfish stocks were updated through the Operational Assessment process (NEFSC 2012). Operational assessments, first described by the Northeast Regional Coordinating Council (NRCC) in 2011, rely on decisions of previous benchmarks for model formulation and definition of biological reference points (BRPs). The terms of reference for the operational assessments are provided in Section 22.1. The efficiency of the Operational Assessment process increases the frequency of assessments, but reduces the ability to modify model structure either in response to new data or external inputs. Major modifications of the assessment models are restricted to benchmark assessments that can incorporate a much greater range of information but for far fewer stocks. In this context, the scope of admissible changes in the assessment was summarized in a letter from the NRCC (22.2). Of particular note, newly available research resulted in modifications of discard mortality rates applied in several assessments.