Report of the US Caribbean Fishery-Independent Survey Workshop

Shannon Cass-Calay, Arnold, William S. (William Smith), 1955-, Meaghan D. Bryan, Jennifer Clifford Schull
2016
Currently, US Caribbean stock assessments use data-limited approaches to determine stock status and sustainability benchmarks, and are reliant on fisheries-dependent data sources. Data obtained from fishery-independent surveys are preferable because they provide an unbiased estimate of abundance with which to calibrate stock assessments. Therefore, it is advantageous to develop statistically rigorous fishery-independent surveys to complement, and ultimately reduce dependence on
more » ... nt data. An initial step in developing fishery-independent surveys is to better understand the extent of existing programs in the US Caribbean, and their utility for stock assessment. To that end, the group endeavored to: identify existing fishery-independent data sources, fully document each data source and evaluate its utility for stock assessment. The group also made recommendations for improvement. Following a comprehensive review of the existing fishery-independent survey programs in the US Caribbean and adjacent waters (Sections 2 and 4), the group acknowledged the diversity of sampling programs, statistical designs and objectives. The majority of the research presented at this workshop encompassed smaller scale biological/ecological research, which was conducted for a variety of objectives not directly related to stock assessment. Although many studies provided important information about abundance, density, and size structure for particular species in localized areas, they were not generally scalable to the larger population. This limited their utility for stock assessment.
doi:10.7289/v5xs5sfn fatcat:viyrpomoqrahpcfujw43jalj6e