Fish Population Dynamic and Stock Assessment

1.1.4. Stock assessment

Stock assessment is an important tool in fisheries management. In particular, to ensure contained, healthy, fish stocks, measurements of the Spawning Stock Biomass (the stock population capable of reproducing) allows sensible conservation strategies to be developed and maintained through the application of sustainable fishing quotas.

In fisheries management, stock refers to a harvested or managed unit of a fish. Typically stocks are divided based on geographical location and not based on individual population. Stocks are not always composed of a single species. Stocks can be composed of multiple species due to their being harvested together or as a form of convenience for managers. An example of a multispecies stock is river herring. Anchovies and blueback herring are labeled as river herring for management purposes due to their similar physical appearances and being harvested together. Individuals within a stock are subdivided into cohorts. A cohort is a group of fish born in the same year within a population or stock.