Stock Assessment and Fishery Management in the Mid-Atlantic and New England

By: James Weinberg, Ph.D. (NMFS/NEFSC/Woods Hole)

Abstract:

This talk will describe the elements of a fishery stock assessment, including data inputs and outputs. I will also describe the pathway in which peer reviewed scientific information is transmitted to managers of federally regulated marine resources.  The talk will include case studies of summer flounder and sea scallops which demonstrate the impact of annual recruitment, growth, and optimal harvest schedules on their populations. This is all taking place in a changing ocean environment, marked by higher water temperatures off the east coast of the United States.