51st Northeast Regional Stock Assessment Workshop (51st SAW) assessment report

A new assessment model for silver hake (ASAP, Legault and Restrepo 1998) was attempted based on a 'combined' (i.e. North + South) assessment area including estimates of fishery landings, discards, and predator consumption, by age class. While the SARC-51 Review Panel felt that the ASAP model represented an advance for the stock assessment, the ASAP results were not accepted due to difficulties in reconciling the inconsistent interpretations from the steep age profiles in the fishery and survey data. An Index Model (AIM) was also explored; however, the diagnostics were not adequate for stock status determination. Therefore, this assessment is based on trends in the three year moving averages for the age-aggregated, fall survey biomass indices (1973-1982) using the arithmetic means rather than the previous delta approach and the three year averages of exploitation indices (total catch/fall survey biomass index). These form the basis for the updated reference points for both the northern and southern management areas'"--Executive summary. by Northeast Fisheries Science Center. "March 2011." Includes bibliographical references.