Fraser River Sockeye Fisheries and Fisheries Management - Cohen ...

REVIEW 3/3Reviewer Name: Dr Sean CoxDate: 24 January 20111. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of this report.OverviewThis report provides a highly detailed accounting of Fraser River sockeye fisheries, scientificstock assessments, and fisheries management for the period 1980 – 2009. Harvesting activity byall sectors, including First Nations, commercial, and recreational, is assessed via the authorscompilation of catch records from both ocean and in-river fisheries. The overall quality of eachcatch information source is judged based on the author's definitions for accuracy, precision, andreliability.StrengthsThe author's involvement in many aspects of Fraser River sockeye fisheries assessment,management, and scientific research provides analytical depth that would otherwise not occur ifit were written as a mere compilation of data.The authors examine accuracy, precision, and reliability of both pre-season and in-seasonforecasting methods by comparing predictions with what are considered "true" run sizes based ondirect post-season enumeration of catch and escapement. This provides the necessary context forjudging the information used to manage sockeye fisheries.The attempt to provide a consistent approach to judging the quality of information (i.e., accuracy,precision, and reliability) used to assess and manage Fraser River sockeye salmon fisheries isappreciated because it allows the report to identify key areas where data and methods could beimproved.WeaknessesThe report addresses a very specific set of tasks, where each task is presented at the beginning ofeach major section. This certainly helps guide the reader through the report; however, thereM-26