May 7, 2023 — The following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:
The New England Fishery Management Council is seeking the services of an independent contractor to prepare an analysis of recruitment assumptions used in stock projections for white hake. The application deadline is May 15, 2023.
This is a short-term, temporary contractor role, commencing on or about May 20, 2023. The Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will review the analysis in the summer of 2023 (tentative date August 10, 2023). The analysis may be used to modify the white hake rebuilding plan and could be used to update Overfishing Limits (OFL) and Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) recommendations for future years. All work under this request for proposals (RFP) is expected to be completed by October 1, 2023.
White hake is a key component of the Northeast Multispecies fishery, commonly caught in gillnet and trawl gear. Revenues from white hake during the period 2017-2021 averaged $4.8 million per year, about nine percent of total groundfish revenues.
The stock underwent a Level 3 management track assessment in 2022. The Peer Review Panel concluded the stock is not overfished and overfishing is not occurring. The same determination was made by NOAA Fisheries. Stock projections from this assessment were used to develop catch advice for future years.
The role of this project is to examine the recruitment time series used to establish white hake reference points and catch advice. The examination should focus on whether there is information in the time series that supports using a different assumption.
The response to this RFP should describe in detail the analytic approach that will be used to examine this issue. Analyses should be based on the existing assessment model and data stream for white hake. It should not explore different assessment models.
Desired experience, demonstrated skills, expected responsibilities, deliverables, and application submission details are outlined in the request for proposals.