September 26, 2023 — The following was release by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
Arlington, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will hold the Red Drum Benchmark Stock Assessment Workshop at the Charleston Marriott, 170 Lockwood Boulevard, Charleston, SC. The stock assessment will evaluate the health of Atlantic red drum stocks and inform management of this species. The Commission’s stock assessment process and meetings are open to the public, with the exception of discussions of confidential data*, when the public will be asked to leave the room.
The November Stock Assessment Workshop will be the first of two workshops that focus on evaluation of models developed to estimate stock status. In preparation for this workshop, the Commission invites the submission of alternate assessment models. For alternate models to be considered, the model description, model input, and complete source code must be provided to Jeff Kipp, Senior Stock Assessment Scientist, at jkipp@asmfc.org by October 31, 2023. Submitted models, with the exception of those without complete, editable source code and input files, will be considered by the Stock Assessment Subcommittee for possible use in the assessment. Any models submitted without complete, editable source code and input files will not be considered.
The second Assessment Workshop is tentatively scheduled for March 2024. Both workshops will address the below stock assessment terms of reference. The final workshop for this stock assessment will be the Peer Review Workshop in August 2024, where an independent Peer Review Panel will review the assessment for its appropriateness to advise future management of red drum.
Relevant Red Drum Stock Assessment Terms of Reference:
- Develop model(s) used to estimate population parameters (e.g., fishing mortality, abundance) and reference points, and analyze model performance
- Discuss the effects of data strengths and weaknesses (e.g., temporal and spatial scale, gear selectivities, ageing accuracy, sample size) on model inputs and outputs
- State assumptions made for all models and explain the likely effects of assumption violations on synthesis of input data and model outputs
- Characterize uncertainty of model estimates and reference points
- Perform retrospective analyses, assess magnitude and direction of retrospective patterns detected, and discuss implications of any observed retrospective pattern for uncertainty in population parameters (e.g., fishing mortality, abundance), reference points, and/or management measures
- Recommend stock status as related to reference points (if available)
For more information about the assessment or attending the upcoming workshop (space will be limited), please contact Tracey Bauer, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at tbauer@asmfc.orgor 703.842.0723.
* Each state and federal agency is responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of its data and deciding who has access to its confidential data. In the case of our stock assessments and peer reviews, all analysts and, if necessary, reviewers, have been granted permission by the appropriate agency to use and view confidential data. When the assessment team needs to show and discuss these data, observers to our stock assessment process are asked to leave the room to preserve confidentiality.