AUTHOR=Zheng Lei , Wang Yuanchao , Liu Shude , Liang Cui , Xian Weiwei 

TITLE=Using Data-Limited Methods to Assess the Status of Bartail Flathead Platycephalus indicus Stocks in the Bohai and Yellow Seas

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Marine Science

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.759465

DOI=10.3389/fmars.2021.759465

ISSN=2296-7745

ABSTRACT=<p>We applied Catch and Maximum Sustainable Yield (CMSY), Bayesian Schaefer model (BSM), and Abundance Maximum Sustainable Yield (AMSY) methods to estimate the status of <italic>Platycephalus indicus</italic> stocks in the Bohai and Yellow Seas, assessed model performance, and determined the impact of priors derived from expert knowledge on the performance of each model. Results showed that <italic>P. indicus</italic> stock in the Bohai Sea had collapsed, while that in the Yellow Sea stock was recovering. With the input of an expert prior derived from the length-based Bayesian biomass (LBB) estimation method, the CIs of each model narrowed, but the changes in biomass trajectory were not significant, and the estimates of <italic>B/B<sub><italic>MSY</italic></sub></italic> were differed compared with model results using default rules. These three models can be used to evaluate data-limited stocks to reflect stock dynamics when reliable inputs are available. However, the ranges of priors, which are preferably obtained from other stock assessment tools, should be carefully established.</p>