The role of research surveys in the crab stock assessment system: from absolute biomass estimates to precautionary harvest control rules
https://doi.org/10.36038/0234-2774-2026-27-3-45-66
EDN: TDQGIH
Abstract
The role of scientific research surveys in the stock assessment system and justification of total allowable catches of crabs and crab-like species is analyzed. It is shown that the biological characteristics of these species – discontinuous growth through molting, impossibility of direct age determination, complex size-sex structure of the commercial stock – determine the key and irreplaceable role of trawl and trap surveys in obtaining primary data for stock assessment. The requirements for information support of TAC justification established by the current regulatory framework of the Russian Federation are examined, and the place of survey data in procedures at various levels of information support – from structured models to empirical methods – is considered. The evolution of methodological approaches in Russian practice is traced: from the area-swept method through empirical balance equations for direct forecasting to the use of survey indices for calibration of population models. Limitations of balance equation methods due to the lack of verification and validation procedures are identified. The main modeling approaches used in crab stock assessment are characterized, including CSA-family models (Collie-Sissenwine Analysis), surplus production models, and indicator methods, and the dependence of their results on the quality and regularity of survey data is demonstrated. It is shown that CSA models occupy an intermediate position between the first and second levels of information support and have a fundamental limitation – the complete exclusion of females from the model structure, which prevents the determination of spawning biomass reference points. As an example of direct use of survey data in a formalized fishery management system, the Canadian experience in managing snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) stocks is examined, based on harvest control rules linked to trawl survey indices and validated through Management Strategy Evaluation. This approach is analyzed not as an alternative to model-based methods, but as a complementary tool whose applicability depends on survey regularity, length of historical data series, and the state of model support for a given stock. The advantages and limitations of both approaches are discussed, and the necessity of ensuring regularity and standardization of survey operations as a prerequisite for reliable crab stock assessment regardless of the chosen methodology is substantiated.
About the Author
S. V. Bakanev
Polar branch of the State Sсientific Center of the «VNIRO»
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
183038; Murmansk
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Review
For citations:
Bakanev S.V. The role of research surveys in the crab stock assessment system: from absolute biomass estimates to precautionary harvest control rules. Problems of Fisheries. 2026;27(3):45-66. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.36038/0234-2774-2026-27-3-45-66. EDN: TDQGIH
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