2020 scrs research activities and u.s. participation · 2020 scrs research activities and u.s....

2020 SCRS Research Activities and U.S.

ParticipationSoutheast Fisheries Science Center

Spring Species Working Groups Meeting of theAdvisory Committee to the U.S. Section to ICCAT

March 11, 2020

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SCRS OfficersChairman, SCRS Gary Melvin (Canada)

Vice-Chair Rui Coelho (EU-Portugal)Sub-Committee on Ecosystems Andres Domingo (Uruguay) - convener/bycatch

Alex Hanke (Canada) - Ecosystem Based Fisheries MgmtSub-Committee on Statistics TBDMethods Working Group Michael Schirripa ( A ) Tropical Tunas Coordinator David Die ( A)

Bigeye tuna David Die ( A)Yellowfin tuna Shannon Calay ( A)Eastern Skipjack Monin Justin Amande (Côte d'Ivoire)Western Skipjack Paulo Travassos (Brazil)

Atlantic Albacore: Haritz Arrizabalaga (EU-Spain)Mediterranean Albacore José Mª Ortiz de Urbina (EU-Spain) Bluefin tuna Coordinator: Gary Melvin (Canada)

Eastern Atlantic Bluefin Ana Gordoa (EU-Spain)Western Atlantic Bluefin John Walter ( A)

Billfishes Fambaye Ngom Sow (Senegal)Swordfish Coordinator: Rui Coelho (EU)

North Atl Swordfish Rui Coelho (EU) South Atl Swordfish Denham Parker (South Africa)Mediterranean Swordfish George Tserpes (EU-Greece)

Sharks Enric Cortés ( A)Small tunas Flavia Lucena (Brazil)Ad hoc WG on coordination of tagging information East Atlantic: Enrique Rodriguez-Marin (EU-Spain)

February 20-22 SCRS Process and ProtocolFebruary 24-28 Bluefin Tuna MSE Technical Group

March 16-20 Swordfish Species GroupApril 20-23 Bluefin Tuna Species GroupMay 18-22 Working Group on Stock Assessment MethodsMay 18-22 Sub-Committee on EcosystemsMay 25-28 Mediterranean Swordfish Stock Assessment (Crete, Greece)June 15-19 Porbeagle Stock Assessment (Faial, Azores, Portugal)

June 16-18Symposium of the Atlantic Ocean Tropical Tuna Tagging Program [AOTTP]

(Dakar, Senegal)June 19-23 Tropical Tuna Data Preparatory (Dakar, Senegal)

June 19-July 4 Atlantic Albacore Stock Assessment (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain)July 20-23 Bluefin Tuna MSE Technical Group (St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada)

September 17-19 Bluefin Tuna MSE Technical GroupSeptember 21-25 SCRS Species Groups meetings Sept 28-October 2 2020 Meeting of the Standing Committee on Research and Statistics

(NOTE: meetings held in Madrid, Spain unless otherwise noted)

Date SCRS Meetings Scheduled for 2020

Date SCRS Workshops Scheduled for 2020

January 27-31Collaborative work to assess marine turtle bycatch in pelagic longline fleets

(Malaga, Spain)

February 3-7Reproductive and Other Life History Aspects of the

Porbeagle andOther Pelagic Sharks in the Atlantic Ocean (Olhão, Portugal)

February 17-21 Small Tunas sampling and biology workshop (Malaga, Spain)March 11-13 Atlantic Bluefin Tuna tagging

April 14-17 (TBD)Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Eastern stock larval index surveys coordination

(Mazzara del Vallo, Italy [to be confirmed])

April 27-29 (TBD)On the potential use of Close Kin methods for the assessment of the Eastern

Atlantic Bluefin Tuna stock (La Valetta, Malta [to be confirmed])


Collaborative work to assess marine turtle bycatch in pelagic longline fleets

• Collaborative work was initiated in April 2018 to assess sea turtle bycatch in the

pelagic longline fleets operating in the South Atlantic Ocean, with participants from

Brazil, Japan and Uruguay

• This expanded collaboration is intended to incorporate the North Atlantic Ocean and

the Mediterranean Sea in this process.

• The main expected outputs are:

1) to integrate data from several countries and produce a preliminary assessment

of the sea turtle bycatch in the pelagic longline (and data permitting, purse seine) fleets

operating in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea,

2) to produce a plan for an estimate of the total sea turtle bycatch by species in

the pelagic longline (and data permitting, purse seine) fleets operating in the Atlantic

Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, and 3) to discuss on how to address other goals (impact

of bycatch and effectiveness of mitigation measures) established in Workshop I.



(Malaga, Spain)









Reproductive and Other Life History Aspects of the Porbeagle andOther Pelagic Sharks in the Atlantic Ocean

• Provide a protocol for standardization of reproductive studies of porbeagle and

other pelagic sharks

• Describe the reproductive cycle of the porbeagle

• Identify median age and size at maturity as well as age at first reproduction for

porbeagle

• Develop reproductive ogives for porbeagle

• Define the breeding frequency for porbeagle and describe the methodology used

to

determine breeding frequency in general

• Provide an update of the ageing study for South Atlantic shortfin makos and

identify future steps



(Malaga, Spain)









Small Tunas sampling and biology workshop

• Revision/update of sampling and biological data collection protocols

• Revision/update of protocols for reproductive samples processing and

data analysis

- Reproductive biology, incl. macroscopic vs histological scales

• Revision/update of protocols for ageing samples processing and data

analysis

- Ageing, incl. spines vs. otoliths

• Initial steps for the establishment of reference sets

• Training for age readings and maturity stage assignation to the teams

involved in these studies

Date SCRS Meetings Scheduled for 2020February 20-22 SCRS Process and ProtocolFebruary 24-28 Bluefin Tuna MSE Technical Group







SCRS Process and Protocol

• SCRS 2021-2025 Strategic Plan

• SCRS Research Priorities 2021 -2025

− Current and future funding

− Priorities and basic research

− Role of the Secretariat

• MSEs (roadmap) and stock assessments (5-year plan)

• Data policy: dissemination, requests and procedures

• Submission of scientific paper / presentations at meetings

− Publication guidelines and Peer review

− New Species Executive Summaries

• Composition of Program Steering Committees

• Follow up on the Second Performance Review Panel

• Concerns regarding the increasing number of SCRS activities being held annually

Bluefin Tuna MSE Technical Group (February meeting)

• Summary of developments since the September Bluefin Tuna Species Group meeting

• Review of results for conditioning of OMs for the interim grid and associated

robustness tests

• Based on discussions under the item above, recommendations regarding the

acceptability of the conditioning and for possible changes to the interim grid

specifications

• Re-selection of the indices to be projected into the future for use as inputs to CMPs,

together with specification of their error structure for use in their generation in

simulations

• Review of codes and Trial Specifications document modifications required

• Provide suggestions for approaches (e.g. a Delphi method) to plausibility-weight OMs

for review at the April intersessional meeting of the Bluefin Tuna Species Group

• Work plan leading up to April meeting, including consideration of provision of an

updated package for CMP developers



(Malaga, Spain)









Atlantic Bluefin Tuna tagging

• Plenary talks by invited key speakers

• Gap analysis of key life history transitions that are not well informed

- gaps in tag transitions

In the current MSE mixing models (known unknowns)

- gaps in knowledge (unknown-unknowns, what are we missing on life history?)

• Draft design for further tagging to fill in gaps

• Planning for joint analyses

- draft MOU on joint analytical work

- develop teams to conduct joint analysis of data

February 20-22 SCRS Process and ProtocolFebruary 24-28 Bluefin Tuna MSE Technical GroupMarch 16-19 20 Swordfish Species Group

April 20-23 Bluefin Tuna Species GroupMay 18-22 Working Group on Stock Assessment MethodsMay 18-22 Sub-Committee on EcosystemsMay 25-28 Mediterranean Swordfish Stock Assessment (Crete, Greece)June 15-19 Porbeagle Stock Assessment (Faial, Azores, Portugal)







Swordfish Species Group

• Review of fishery statistics, biology, fisheries indicators

• Data and assessment model preparation for the Mediterranean SWO assessment

• North Atlantic Swordfish MSE

- Review of work in 2019 and further development of the MSE workplan and

roadmap for ICCAT North Atlantic Swordfish MSE process

- Implications of the new MSE roadmap adopted by the Commission

- Discussion on finalizing the reference set of Operating Models

- Discussion on starting the testing of candidate management procedures

• Progress on the Atlantic and Mediterranean Swordfish Project and other work related to

the workplans

• Stock structure (based on genetics, morphology and tagging data), Age and growth,

Movements, Size/sex distribution

• Plan for the ongoing and future activities of the Atlantic and Mediterranean Swordfish

Project



(Malaga, Spain)




April 14-17 (TBD) Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Eastern stock larval index surveys coordination (Mazzara del Vallo, Italy [to be confirmed])




Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Eastern stock larval index surveys coordination

• The purpose is to coordinate larval index development and

standardization among the Mediterranean Countries


March 16-20 Swordfish Species Group

April 20-23May 18-22 Bluefin Tuna Species Group

May 18-22 Working Group on Stock Assessment MethodsMay 18-22 Sub-Committee on EcosystemsMay 25-28 Mediterranean Swordfish Stock Assessment (Crete, Greece)June 15-19 Porbeagle Stock Assessment (Faial, Azores, Portugal)







Bluefin Tuna Species Group

• Review of the scientific papers relevant to assessment

• Initiation of working group on growth in farms

- Identify team lead

- Draft terms of reference and workplan

• Presentation of initial model setups for update stock assessment

- Biology and age data

- Catch estimates (including 2019 and 2020 assumptions)

- Relative abundance estimates and CPUE

• Review of initial assessment diagnostics

- East (VPA)

- West (VPA and Stock Synthesis)

- Specify sensitivity runs

- Specify projection settings

Bluefin Tuna Species Group (MSE)

• Summary of development since the September 2019 Bluefin Tuna

Species Group meeting

• Summary of outcomes from the 24-28 February meeting of the BFT

MSE Technical Group

- Review of results for conditioning of Operating Models for interim

grid, and associated robustness tests available at that stage

- Review of code and Trial Specifications Document modifications

• Key decision points for adoption

- Final reference grid and major robustness trials

- Abundance indices for Candidate Management Procedures

- Process to plausibility weight Operating Models

Bluefin Tuna Species Group (cont.)

• Work plan (July MSE Technical Group meeting, update assessment in

September)

• GBYP activities

- Report from Tagging Workshop and planning for Close-kin Scoping

Workshop

- Progress on GBYP projects

• Other scientific papers



(Malaga, Spain)






April 27-29 (TBD) On the potential use of Close Kin methods for the assessment of the Eastern Atlantic Bluefin Tuna stock (La Valetta, Malta [to be confirmed])


On the potential use of Close Kin methods for the assessment of the Eastern Atlantic Bluefin Tuna stock

• Evaluate the financial, logistic and scientific feasibility of implementing

a Close Kin Mark-Recapture (CKMR) study for Eastern Bluefin Tuna

Background: Genetic CKMR uses the frequency of closely related

individuals (e.g. parent-offspring, siblings) to estimate absolute number or

exploitation rate, either of which can be directly used in stock

assessments or harvest control rules.

Participants: CKMR methodology developers and researchers with direct

experience on its application in other BFT stocks, as well experts in

Eastern BFT stock genetics and biological sampling and open to all

interested SCRS scientists.

Working Group on Stock Assessment Methods

• CPUE standardization/incorporation of oceanographic and environmental changes

into the assessment process

• Harvest Control Rules, Limit Reference points and Management Strategy

Evaluation (MSE)

• Approaches to estimate the level of unreported catches (including discards) to

include in future stock assessments

• Review of stock assessment software catalogue

Concerns due to cancellation:

- Delays efforts to develop/implement methodologies to estimate discards for

fisheries where they are not reported/may be underreported.

- Delays development of a mechanism to review the general SCRS MSE process,

leading to a way to develop, and ensure adherence to, best practices applicable

across species groups.

Working Group on Stock Assessment Methods

• Continue the ongoing collaborative work related to seabirds and marine

turtles

• Develop a list of bycatch species that are not retained and select the

species to be used as indicators.

• Support the development of indicators for the Ecosystem Report Card

Concerns due to cancellation:

Delays efforts to resolve outstanding scientific questions regarding the

effectiveness of circle hooks in reducing fishing mortality of shortfin mako,

such as:

- Analyses of available data comparing at-vessel mortality rate between circle

and J-hooks

- Consideration/design of field study(ies)

Symposium of the Atlantic Ocean Tropical Tuna Tagging Program

Theme sessions:

• Experimental Design and Tagging Techniques

• Age and Growth

• Electronic Tagging and Spatial Dynamics

• Mortality and Abundance

• Impact of FADs

• Stock Assessment and Management

Tropical Tuna Data PreparatoryStill unresolved: Is this for Skipjack only or will it cover

Bigeye Tuna as well? (currently listed as the “Bigeye Tuna and Skipjack Data

Preparatory meeting”)

Two options being considered:

1) Cover both BET and SKJ at this 2020 data prep. Assess both species in 2021

(unclear whether this would be one meeting or two).

Pros: Saves one or two meetings over the course of two years

Cons: Overwhelming and confusing to cover two species (3 stocks) in one

meeting, Updated BET LL index unlikely to be available for data prep.

One less year of data for BET assessment.

2) Focus on SKJ at the 2020 data prep. Assess SKJ in early 2021. Hold BET data

prep and BET assessment meeting (normal process) in 2021.

Pros : none of the Cons above. Cons: one or two more meetings over two years

Atlantic Albacore Stock Assessment

Northern Albacore:

Update the surplus production model up until 2018, following the 2016 assessment

specifications, and apply the harvest control rule (HCR)

some potential concerns:

- The Committee adopted a tentative HCR, but not a Management Procedure (which

would specify methodology to be used for assessment, including data inputs).

Unexpected difficulties/unavailable data might lead to deviation from what was

tested in the MSE.

- The MSE may not have captured the uncertainties of the available indices

Southern Albacore:

At a minimum, update the surplus production models, up until 2018, following the

procedures of the 2016 stock assessment

Bluefin Tuna MSE Technical Group (July meeting)

• Review, refine and tune Candidate Management Procedures that have

been brought to the meeting by developers

• Assessment modelers meet afterwards to compile results

(an additional 2-3 days)

Bluefin Tuna MSE Technical Group (September meeting)

• Compile Candidate Management Procedure performance results

(2-3 CMPs)

• Compile VPA/SS results

• Conduct plausibility weighting of Operating Model grid

February 20-22 SCRS Process and ProtocolFebruary 24-28 Bluefin Tuna MSE Technical GroupMarch 16-2019 Swordfish Species Group

April 20-23May 18-22 Bluefin Tuna Species Group

May 18-22 Working Group on Stock Assessment MethodsMay 18-22 Sub-Committee on EcosystemsMay 25-28 Mediterranean Swordfish Stock Assessment (Crete, Greece)June 15-19 Porbeagle Stock Assessment (Faial, Azores, Portugal)






Date Revised SCRS Meeting Schedule for 2020 (as of 3/12/2020)

Date Revised SCRS Workshop Scheduled for 2020 (as of 3/1/2020)


(Malaga, Spain)




April 14-17 (TBD) Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Eastern stock larval index surveys coordination (Mazzara del Vallo, Italy [to be confirmed])

April 27-29 (TBD) On the potential use of Close Kin methods for the assessment of the Eastern Atlantic Bluefin Tuna stock (La Valetta, Malta [to be confirmed])


2020 scrs research activities and u.s. participation · 2020 scrs research activities and u.s....

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