SEDAR

SEDAR
Name	SEDAR
Type	Regional fisheries stock assessment program
Established	1990s
Jurisdiction	Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea

SEDAR

SEDAR is a cooperative regional process for conducting scientific fisheries stock assessments and peer reviews used to inform fisheries management in the western Atlantic and Gulf regions. It connects federal agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service with regional entities like the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and the Caribbean Fishery Management Council, while engaging academic institutions including Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Florida State University.

Overview

The program provides standardized assessments that integrate data from federal bodies such as the National Marine Fisheries Service, state agencies including the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and international organizations like the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, producing technical reports, stock status determinations, and management advice. SEDAR assessments typically cover commercially important taxa such as red snapper, grouper, shrimp, menhaden, and haddock, and are used alongside regulatory frameworks like the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and regional plans developed by the New England Fishery Management Council and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council.

History and Development

Developed in the mid-1990s through collaboration among organizations including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission, the program evolved in response to stock crises exemplified by collapses such as the Atlantic cod collapse and declines in species assessed under programs like the Alaska Fishery Science Center studies. Key historical inputs came from workshops and advisory bodies including the Scientific and Statistical Committee panels convened by the regional fishery management councils and interagency efforts modeled on assessment methods used by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.

Structure and Governance

Governance involves steering committees composed of representatives from the National Marine Fisheries Service, regional fishery management councils, state commissions, and academic advisors from institutions such as the University of Miami and the University of South Florida, with peer review panels drawing experts from groups like the American Fisheries Society and laboratories such as the Southeast Fisheries Science Center. Decision-making follows charters and operating procedures influenced by statutes including the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and guidance from bodies such as the Science and Statistical Committee and the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.

Data Collection and Assessment Methods

Assessments synthesize catch data from sources such as the Commercial Fishing Industry, landing records maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, observer programs like those run by the At-sea Observer Program, and fishery-independent survey data from surveys akin to the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer cruises and the SEAMAP trawl surveys. Analytical frameworks include age-structured models comparable to those used in Stock Synthesis and virtual population analysis approaches applied in studies by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, and use statistical techniques familiar to practitioners at the Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute and the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

Species and Regional Applications

SEDAR assessments address species central to regional fisheries management such as red drum, spotted seatrout, black sea bass, Atlantic croaker, Atlantic menhaden, goliath grouper, yellowtail snapper, and migratory taxa assessed in coordination with the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas for species like bluefin tuna. Geographic focus spans the Gulf of Mexico, the South Atlantic Bight, and the Caribbean Sea, with case studies that inform management in jurisdictions including the State of Louisiana, the State of Florida, and territories such as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Criticisms and Limitations

Critiques voiced by stakeholders such as commercial fleets represented by the Seafood Harvesters Association and conservation groups like Ocean Conservancy and the Center for Biological Diversity often target data gaps from recreational fisheries monitored by state agencies like the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and uncertainty in life-history parameters derived from studies at institutions like the University of Georgia. Methodological limitations include model structural uncertainty highlighted in literature from the Journal of Marine Science and reliance on catch data prone to misreporting illustrated in cases reviewed by the Government Accountability Office and litigation involving parties such as the Center for Marine Conservation.

Impact on Fisheries Management

SEDAR outputs directly inform quota specifications, rebuilding plans, and harvest control rules implemented by bodies like the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and have influenced regulatory actions under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act including rebuilding timelines similar to those applied to stocks managed by the New England Fishery Management Council. Assessments have shaped research priorities at institutions such as the Southeast Fisheries Science Center and funding decisions by agencies such as the National Marine Fisheries Service and the National Science Foundation.

Category:Fisheries science