Stock Assessment of Atlantic Herring and Its Impacts on the American Lobster Fishery in the Gulf of Maine

Large uncertainty in the stock assessment of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) led to a substantially reduced catch quota for herring.  This created hardships for the American lobster (Homarus americanus) fishery in the Gulf of Maine because the fishery is heavily dependent upon herring as a resource for bait.  In this study we evaluate factors that may affect the uncertainty associated with the herring stock assessment.  In particular, we will discuss potential impacts of stock structure, data quality, data quantity, and assumptions of stock assessment models on the magnitude and nature of retrospective problems. We will evaluate temporal variability in the amount and prices of herring baits used in the lobster fishery and identify possible relationships between the quality of herring stock assessment and the dynamics of the lobster fishery in the Gulf of Maine.