2014 Assessment of the Flathead Sole Stock in the Gulf of Alaska
March 06, 2014
Flathead sole (Hippoglossoides elassodon) are assessed on a biennial stock assessment schedule to coincide with the availability of new survey data. For Gulf of Alaska flathead sole in alternate (even) years we present an executive summary to recommend harvest levels for the next two years.
GOA Flathead sole is managed in Tier 3a. The single species projection model was run using parameter values from the accepted 2013 accepted assessment model (McGilliard et al. 2013), together with updated catch information for 2013 - 2014, to predict stock status for flathead sole in 2015 and 2016 and to make ABC recommendations for those years.
New information available to update the projection model consists of the total catch for 2013 (2,816 t) and the current catch for 2014 (2,317 t as of October 19, 2014). ). To run the projection model to predict ABC’s for 2015 and 2016, estimates are required for the total catches in 2014 and 2015. The final catch for 2014 was estimated by dividing the current catch by the ratio of the catch on the same date in 2013 (October 19, 2013) as the current catch to the final 2013 catch. The estimated final catch for 2014 was 2,619 t and was also used as an estimate of the 2015 catch.