Using data recorded during commercial krill fishing in Feedback Management

Feedback Management (FBM) requires adequate data that can be collected with a minimum of extra effort. Traditional survey practice requires a pre determined survey design that support statistical handling of the collected data into stock abundance information. Godø et al. (2015) (WG-EMM-15/13) show the inherent variability of catch and acoustic data collected during fishing operation. At the same time the data might inform about patterns in the ecosystem of importance to FBM. Similarly, Niklitschek and Skaret (2015) (EMM-16 doc) utilize spatial statistics to show that fisheries acoustic data recorded during regular fishing operations give consistent information about spatial and temporal distribution and abundance of krill in the South Orkney Islands. However, due to the lack of survey design there is an unknown impact/uncertainty of the effect of using data collected during aimed trawling at high krill concentrations.  It is suggested that combining their approach with a conventional design might inform about some of this uncertainties. In this paper we discuss how the information of these two papers can be used in an operational FBM.