Models to Improve Groundfish Management
Washington Sea Grant/NOAA Fisheries Fellow is developing and testing frameworks to evaluate how well groundfish fisheries management strategies perform when using long-term survey data.
Kelli Faye Johnson, University of Washington, School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
André E. Punt, University of Washington, School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
Isaac C. Kaplan, NOAA Fisheries, Northwest Fisheries Science Center
Ecosystem-based approaches to management — focused on maintaining ecosystem health, productivity and resilience — provide a new way of looking at how living marine resources are managed. Traditionally, marine fish management was focused on individual species in isolation; therefore, most established quantitative methods to assess the status of marine fishes have not accounted for ecosystem effects. Tools such as multi-species stock assessment methods can improve understanding of how ecosystems respond to multiple stressors and the trade-offs associated with balancing social and ecological needs. This project aims to increase the availability and use of such quantitative tools to facilitate ecosystem-based management.
Johnson, K. F., Councill, E., Thorson, J. T., Brooks, E., Methot, R. D., and Punt, A. E. 2016. estimated using integrated assessment models and how does it affect population forecasts? Fisheries Research, 10.1016/j.shres.2016.06.004.
Punt, A. E., MacCall, A. D., Essington, T. E., Francis, T. B., Hurtado-Ferro, F., Johnson, K. F., S., and Sydeman, W. J. 2016. Exploring the implications of the harvest control rule for Pacic sardine, accounting model. Ecological Modelling, 337: 79-95. doi: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2016.06.004.