Initial results for the application of statistical-catch-at-age methodology to the stock of pollock in Subareas 5 and 6.

This paper presents some initial results for the application of Statistical-Catch-at-Age (SCAA) assessment methodology to the pollock population in Subareas 5 and 6. Since it is unclear how best to treat some of the survey indices available for this assessment, the approach taken has been to start minimalistically. Thus the Base Case assessment is fit to the two longest and best understood series only: the NEFSC spring and fall surveys.

Two sets of variants to this Base Case assessment are considered. First the other abundance indices are added to those used for the Base Case, typically one at a time to see their different impacts while maintaining the other assumptions associated with the Base Case. Then those Base Case assumptions are varied, but only for the situation where the NEFSC spring and fall surveys alone are used as input to the assessment.