MARAM_IWS_2022_Sole_P1_v1.pdf (123.09 kB)
The sole assessment enigma
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posted on 2023-03-06, 09:20 authored by Doug ButterworthDoug Butterworth, Jean P Glazer, Deon DurholtzUp to the turn of the Century, the sole resource had “behaved by the book”: A steady annual catch of about 700 mt with a similarly steady CPUE over the last two decades (at least).
Then, without any change in the TAC, the catches started to drop. Initially this was driven mainly by a decrease in effort as old vessels were retired from the fishery. But then a decade into the new Century, the CPUE dropped markedly too, by some 50%.
Thus the key question for the IWS Panel is: What parsimonious revisions to the assumptions underlying the current sole model do you suggest for further investigation?