Guide to the Jack Mackerel MSE papers for SC14

SPRFMO

South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation
Jack Mackerel Candidate Management Procedures
Guide to the Jack Mackerel MSE papers for SC14

Purpose

Download the PDF version of this guide.

The independent desk review found the main report strong. Its main concern was that the report and the linked CMP descriptions, results, downloads, and instructions did not always tell one consistent story.

The material stemming from the MSE is organized according to what each reader needs:

  1. a short SC14 questions and tasks paper tells the Scientific Committee what the results show, which questions it needs to answer, and what advice is being requested;
  2. the full MSE report provides the complete scientific account of the analysis and results;
  3. a technical paper gives the methods, definitions, full results, and details needed to check the work; and
  4. a response to the review shows what has been changed, what remains to be done, and when it should be completed.

The website, CMP list, downloadable results, Slick file, and code should all be produced from the same final set of results. A reader should not have to compare different pages or downloads to discover which numbers are current.

Document roles

Paper or supporting item Main readers What it is for
SC14 questions and tasks Scientific Committee and Commission delegates Summarize the results, choices, and requested advice
Full MSE report Scientific Committee and scientific reviewers Provide the complete scientific analysis and interpretation
Technical paper Scientific reviewers and analysts Give enough detail to understand and check the work
Response to the review Scientific Committee, reviewer, and authors Show how each important comment has been handled
Saved results and code Analysts and future reviewers Provide the exact files used to make the papers, tables, figures, and downloads

How the parts fit together

flowchart TD
  A["Final saved results and code"] --> B["SC14 questions and tasks"]
  A --> K["Full MSE report"]
  A --> C["Technical paper"]
  A --> D["Response to the review"]
  A --> E["CMP registry and specifications"]
  A --> F["Slick, tables, and figures"]
  A --> G["Code, saved runs, and file list"]
  C --> B
  D --> B
  C --> K
  K --> B
  E --> C
  F --> C
  G --> C
  B --> H["Scientific Committee advice"]
  H --> I["Final operational package"]
  I --> J["Commission choice"]

SC14 tasks

The papers allow SC14 to decide whether the MSE is scientifically sound, agree the minimum biological performance requirements, and recommend a short list of CMPs for final work. SC14 should also identify the questions that need a Commission choice, especially the acceptable balance between catch, stability, and risk.

Before the Commission chooses a CMP, the remaining rules for annual use should be completed. These include treatment of missing or revised data and the action to take when circumstances fall outside those tested in the MSE. Catch allocation does not require further analytical work for this paper. The author’s response explains how the existing analysis addresses the review comments on allocation. The final papers, results, website files, and code will be saved together as the official version.