Accounting for Seasonal Growth in Per-Recruit Analyses: A Case Study of Four Commercial Fish in Coastal China Seas

Biological reference points (BRPs) derived from per-recruit analyses are commonly used in inferring stock status and serve as the target or threshold fisheries management. However, estimation of BRPs may be impacted by variability life history processes, particularly, individual growth rates often display substantial seasonal oscillations but seldomly considered analyses. Using four commercial fish species Lophius litulon , Saurida elongata Hexagrammos otakii Larimichthys polyactis coastal China Seas examples, this study examined effects on BRPs. We developed an individual-based modeling framework to simulate patterns with without variations at levels adopted two common assessment methods, age-based analysis length-frequency analysis, estimate parameters regarding data availability data-rich data-poor fisheries, respectively. found that ignoring seasonality could lead errors for small-size H. L. our evaluation; when was considered, largely improved. Length-frequency might yield considerably less reliable estimations than method. The time year fast occurs determines positive negative bias estimation, amplitude degree biases. In general, there is can underestimated parameter K trigger biases propagate management, whereas incorporating falsely no variation will have little influences This contributes demonstrate risk approaches accounting fishery