Response to Comments by Butterworth and Punt in SC/46/AS2 on the Bayesian Synthesis Approach

In this paper we address some of the concerns raised by Butterworth and Punt (1994) in SC/46/AS2 regarding the Bayesian synthesis method. We argue that the sensitivity of the Bayesian synthesis approach is similar to that of alternative methods, and that the ease with which sensitivity can be detected is one of the advantages of the method. We also note that some of the examples in SC/46/AS2 use applications of the Bayesian synthesis framework which are potentially misleading. Speciically, SC/46/AS2 examines a simpliied version of the Bayesian synthesis method, and the sensitivity displayed in the results of SC/46/AS2 is partially an artifact of this sim-pliication. This simpliication removes the very features from the Bayesian synthesis method which help it avoid problems involving sensitivity, estimation bias and precision. We address further concerns raised in SC/46/AS2 regarding the use of information about various biological parameters.