The Assessment Oversight Panel (AOP) will meet by webinar on April 11, 2022 to review the stock assessment plans for the Illex squid and butterfish management track assessments and recommend the level of peer review necessary for each assessment. Please visit the April 11 AOP Meeting page on the NOAA Fisheries website for an agenda and webinar connection details. This meeting is open to the public.
Background Information
Management track assessments provide updated catch advice on a regular schedule. The schedule varies by species. These assessments begin with a previously approved assessment model and a plan to carry forward an updated assessment with possible changes to the data or parameters in the model.
The AOP is responsible for reviewing and approving management track assessment plans and recommending the appropriate level of peer review for each management track assessment. The AOP is composed of four members: a member of the Mid-Atlantic Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), a member of the New England Council’s SSC, a member of the ASMFC Assessment Science Committee, and the NEFSC Chief of the Populations Dynamics Branch.
During this meeting, the lead assessment scientist for each species will present the assessment plans to the AOP. The AOP will then recommend the level of peer review appropriate for each assessment. There are three levels of management track peer review:
Level 1: direct delivery (i.e., no peer review) of simple data and model updates;
Level 2: expedited peer review of updates with some changes to the model or data streams; or
Level 3: enhanced peer review of updates with extensive changes.
After the AOP meets and makes its recommendations, the assessment leads will then carry out the management track assessment within the scope of the approved plan for each stock.
A peer review meeting will be held at the end of the process to review the Level 2 and 3 assessments. The peer review meeting for these assessments is scheduled for June 27-30, 2022.
Additional information about stock assessments is available on the Council’s Stock Assessments page and on the NOAA Fisheries website.