"Assessment methods for the data-limited Jonah crab fishery evaluated with a simulation framework" by: Corinne Truesdale

Wednesday, April 15, 2026 at 3:00pm to 4:00pm

Seminar Announcement

Department of Fisheries Oceanography

"Assessment methods for the data-limited Jonah crab fishery evaluated with a simulation framework"

Corinne Truesdale

Deputy Chief of Marine Fisheries. Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

3:00 - 4:00 pm

SMAST E 101-103 and via Zoom

Abstract:

Stock assessment efforts for the southern New England (SNE) Jonah crab fishery have been impeded by limited life-history and monitoring data for the species in SNE. Consequently, selection of optimal management strategies is controversial, which is particularly concerning given recent declines in commercial landings. The present study focuses on using Jonah crab population simulation models to assess and compare two currently available monitoring data streams and two proposed assessment methods—an empirical index-based approach and a model-based catch-survey analysis approach. Monitoring data collection and application of assessment methods were compared by simulating these processes on a virtual population, accounting for observation error in data collection, to see how well the data and assessment methods capture “real” dynamics produced by the virtual population. The model-based method performed slightly better when using data with a greater signal-to-noise ratio, while the empirical method was generally preferred with greater levels of index observation error. This simulation-based approach allows for evaluation of management procedures in a data-limited fishery for which the status of the stock is not well understood and is intended to assist scientists and managers in evaluating monitoring and assessment programs for SNE Jonah crab moving forward.  

Join Meeting

https://umassd.zoom.us/j/93758230260

Note: Meeting ID and passcode required, email contact to obtain.

For additional information, please contact Callie Rumbut at c.rumbut@umassd.edu

SMAST East 101-103 : 836 S. Rodney French Boulevard, New Bedford MA 02744
Callie Rumbut
c.rumbut@umassd.edu
https://umassd.zoom.us/j/93758230260