Analytical and statistical review of procedures for collection and analysis of commercial fishery data used for management and assessment of groundfish stocks in the U.S. exclusive economic zone off Alaska

Abstract

Effective management of multi-species fisheries requires reliable estimates of the amount and composition of catch and bycatch. In this report, we present the results of analyses of observer program data performed to compare several different estimators of catch and catch composition. Our analyses were applied to 1994 data collected in two fisheries selected based on data availability, representativeness, and economic importance: the walleye pollock and yellowfin sole fisheries in the USEEZ of the Eastern Bering Sea.