Southwest Nova Scotia/Bay of Fundy Herring : Management Strategy Evaluation Framework

Abstract

An approach for conditioning operating models (OMs) for the southwest Nova Scotia/Bay of Fundy (SWNS/BoF) Atlantic Herring (Clupea harengus) management strategy evaluation (MSE) was developed in 2020 (Carruthers et al. 2023). This document completes the MSE framework that will be used to evaluate the performance of candidate management procedures (MPs) for the SWNS/BoF Herring fishery by defining: 1) the MSE objectives and associated performance metrics for evaluating the objectives, 2) the reference set of OMs that will serve as a testbed for evaluating the performance of MPs, 3) the closed-loop simulation approach used for the evaluation of MPs, 4) the exceptional circumstance criteria for triggering an evaluation of the suitability of the advice from an MP, and 5) the proposed frequency and timing of interim-year updates to be provided between full peer-reviewed frameworks, and the recommended timing of the next framework. The application of the MSE framework is demonstrated in this document using a set of candidate MPs. Candidate MPs can continue to be developed and evaluated using this MSE framework.