Design Change to Fishery Independent Surveys: When to Adjust and How to Account For It

Fishery independent surveys provide crucial information for monitoring and assessing marine fish stocks. Their utility can largely be attributed to sampling procedures that are consistent across space and time, such that observed dynamics can reasonably be assumed to reflect those of the population or community being studied. However, sometimes changes to the survey design become desirable or necessary. They may be desirable if the benefits of modification outweigh the benefits of consistency, for example, with improvements in sampling technology or efficiency, revised survey priorities, or increased funding that allows for greater spatial coverage or temporal resolution. In other cases, changes to the survey design may not be desirable but necessary, for example, when specific supplies or equipment become unobtainable, or with reductions in funding, ship time, or human resources.

This Special Issue compiles case studies from around the globe documenting changes to fishery independent surveys. The case studies document the rationale for making changes and how those changes were accounted for in monitoring and assessment. Ultimately, the goal is to assemble “lessons learned” from real-world examples, to inform those in the future faced with potential or inevitable changes to fishery independent surveys.