Further examinations of the SBT operating model to explore new tagging model and grid specifications

Kurota, Hiroyuki; Sakai, Osamu; Takahashi, Norio; Butterworth, Doug S

Further examinations of the SBT operating model to explore new tagging model and grid specifications

Report

2009

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Marine Resource Assessment and Management Group

Faculty

Faculty of Science

Abstract

Stock assessments and constant catch projections were conducted using new Operating Models (OMs; sbtmod21 and sbtmod22, which have different tagging models) developed by the CCSBT ESC. The current analysis showed that: 1. a new candidate for the tagging model (incorporated in sbtmod22) led to higher M0 (natural mortality at age 0), lower M10 (natural mortality at age 10) and lower omega (non-linearity of the CPUE-abundance relationship) estimates than the previous tagging model which is used in sbtmod21, and estimated lower current stock abundance relative to the virgin unfished biomass, 2. a high S (S=0.5; S is the proportion of longline overcatch attributed to the reported effort) led to a lower M10, but the overall results were scarcely different from those for the base assumption (S=0.25), and 3. a slight change of assumptions regarding the Indonesian fishing selectivity impacted on M estimates substantially (leading to low M0 and high M10), which indicates poor ability to explain the Indonesian catch-at-age data when using a low M10 as pointed out during the 2008 SAG meeting.