DV-07-001 A preliminary study to develop and evaluate stock assessment models for cod fisheries in the Gulf of Maine

Yong Chen
Professor of Fisheries Dynamics
School of Marine Sciences
University of Maine
Orono, ME 04469
ychen@maine.edu

Traditional models of fish stock assessments, which are used to regulate commercial fisheries, are often inadequate to evaluate the true status of fish populations because they assume that the spatial distribution of fish in the ocean is not related to the distribution of the fishing fleet. This project intended to develop a spatially-explicit stock assessment model for cod populations on Georges Bank and in the Gulf of Maine. The model considers the spatial dynamics of the fishing fleet and fish movement, and evaluates alternative management regimes for these fisheries. The work, conducted in partnership with Dr. Stephanie Mahevas from Ecologie et Modeles pour l’Halieutique in France, sets the stage for full development of a spatially-explicit model for Atlantic cod that can then be applied to other species.

1-year project: $4,000