CFP CFP Fish Population Dynamics & Stock Assessment

Question 1

Which metric is used in stock assessment to describe the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) of a fish population?

Accepted Answer

The highest yield that can be taken from a stock indefinitely under existing conditions

Answer

MSY is defined as the highest yield that can be sustainably taken from a stock under existing environmental conditions.

Question 2

In a catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) index, what does a declining CPUE typically indicate?

Accepted Answer

A decrease in fish abundance or population density

Answer

A declining CPUE generally signals that fish abundance is decreasing relative to the fishing effort applied.

Question 3

What is the purpose of a virtual population analysis (VPA) in fisheries science?

Accepted Answer

Reconstruct historical population size and fishing mortality from catch-at-age data

Answer

VPA uses age-structured catch data to back-calculate the historical abundance and fishing mortality of a stock.

Question 4

Which age-determination method is most commonly used for freshwater fishes in the US?

Accepted Answer

Scale annuli

Answer

Scale annuli are the most widely used aging method for many US freshwater species because scales are easy to collect non-lethally.

Question 5

The Beverton-Holt recruitment model describes what relationship?

Accepted Answer

The relationship between spawning stock biomass and subsequent recruitment

Answer

The Beverton-Holt model is a stock-recruitment function that relates the number of spawners to the number of recruits produced.

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