R-14-02 Evaluating Performance of Stock Assessment Models for Northern Shrimp and Atlantic Herring

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

November 8, 2018

Yong Chen
School of Marine Sciences
University of Maine
207.581.4303
Email Yong Chen

Jie Cao
School of Marine Sciences
University of Maine

Shrimp (Pandalus borealis) and herring (Clupea harengus) are important components of the Gulf of Maine ecosystem and support commercial fisheries. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, working with NOAA Fisheries and the Maine Department of Marine Resources, regulates the harvest of both species. Regulators depend on assessments of population size and structure based on data collected at sea and computer models. Sea Grant researcher Yong Chen has been working to improve the models used for stock assessments by incorporating the size of the animals and other aspects of their biology. New stock assessment models must be proven effective and accurate before they are adopted by fisheries managers. A size-structured assessment model and relevant computer codes and user manual have been developed and provided to the ASMFC Northern Shrimp Technical Committee for use in the upcoming ASMFC northern shrimp benchmark stock assessment.

Publications
Spatio-temporal index standardization improves the stock assessment of northern shrimp in the Gulf of Maine. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 2017.

Improving assessment of Pandalus stocks using a seasonal, size-structured assessment model with environmental variables: Part II: Model evaluation and simulation. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 2016.

Improving assessment of Pandalus stocks using a seasonal, size-structured assessment model with environmental variables: Part I: Model development and application. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 2016.

Two-year project, 2014-2016
Total Sea Grant funds: $143,778