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Council selects fishery‑dependent index standardization for methodology review
Summary
The council authorized a methodology review of approaches to standardize commercial fishery‑dependent indices (spatio‑temporal models) to address nonrandom sampling, targeting, and hyperstability when fishery dependent data are used in stock assessments.
The Pacific Fishery Management Council voted unanimously to send a proposed methodology for standardizing fishery‑dependent indices to a formal methodology review under Council Operating Procedure 25.
The topic: The Northwest Fisheries Science Center proposed a review of spatial‑temporal modelling methods to standardize commercial fishery‑dependent indices. The goal is to develop and evaluate methods that account for the nonrandom nature of fishing effort and catch — for example, when fishermen concentrate effort on aggregations and when regulatory or market factors change where and when fishing occurs.
SSC and advisory view: The Scientific and Statistical Committee supported the review as a demonstration project and recommended that developers validate proposed methods using simulations or fishery‑independent indices where available. The SSC suggested prioritizing species slated for assessment in 2027 so the methodology can be applied in the next specifications cycle. The Groundfish Advisory Panel also endorsed the review and recommended engaging fishermen early in method development.
Why it matters: Fishery‑dependent indices can be valuable for species or life stages not well sampled by bottom trawl surveys, but they are vulnerable to biases from nonrandom effort, gear changes, and market behavior. Standardized methods that incorporate spatial and temporal structure and expert knowledge could improve assessment inputs for several midwater and nearshore species.
Council action: The council adopted the SSC recommendation and scheduled the methodology review under COP‑25 so review panels and advisory bodies can examine proposed approaches and validation tests.
Ending: Staff and the SSC will prepare materials for a formal methodology review and seek industry input on fishery‑dependent patterns, targeting behavior, and data filters during method development.
