Fishery Stock Assessments
Stock assessments are a critical part of the fisheries management process. Fishery managers use stock assessments to understand the effects of fishing and other factors on the status of a fish stock, to evaluate the size of a fish stock, and to make predictions about how a fish stock will respond to current and future management measures. The information provided by stock assessments helps managers ensure sustainable fisheries, healthy ecosystems, and productive coastal communities.
Stock Assessment Planning and Process
Stock assessment planning is coordinated by the Northeast Regional Coordinating Council (NRCC). The NRCC is comprised of leadership from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO), Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC), New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), and the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC). The NRCC coordinates science and management activities and resources in the region, including setting stock assessment priorities and schedules.
A more collaborative fishery stock assessment process has been developed by the NRCC. Assessments are now scheduled years in advance to allow for better planning.
Types of Assessments
Management Track Assessments provide routine, scheduled, updated advice to directly inform management actions. These are designed to be simpler, quicker, more efficient, and more flexible than research track assessments. Management track assessments help ensure that stock status is updated on a regular and predictable basis.
Research Track Assessments may examine one or multiple stocks, or evaluate an issue or new model that could apply to many stocks. They are carried out over several years and can consider extensive changes in data, models, or stock structures. They may provide the basis for future management track assessments.
Stock Assessment Roles and Responsibilities
For more detailed descriptions, see the Stock Assessment Process document (p. 1-3).
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Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) assessment scientists support both management and research track assessments. NEFSC assessment scientists have primary responsibility for planning and carrying out management track assessments for federally-managed stocks, and they collaborate with other scientists and experts on the working groups that carry out research track assessments.
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The Assessment Oversight Panel (AOP) is responsible for reviewing and approving management track assessment plans and recommending the appropriate level of peer review for each management track assessment. The AOP is composed of four members: a member of the Mid-Atlantic Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), a member of the New England Council’s SSC, a member of the ASMFC Assessment Science Committee, and the NEFSC Chief of the Populations Dynamics Branch.
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Stock Assessment Working Groups (WGs) are responsible for developing and implementing the research plan for research track stock assessments. WGs are composed of NEFSC assessment scientists, other NEFSC scientists, and other federal, state, academic and other non-governmental scientists or experts. The NEFSC periodically solicits applications for working group membership consideration. Information about future working group solicitations will be posted on this page.
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Peer Review Panels are convened to review certain management track assessments and all research track assessments. Peer review panels review the assessment(s) for technical merit and provide recommendations on whether the assessment should or should not be used for management.
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The Research Track Steering Committee (RTSC) guides and oversees the research track process with a focus on ensuring that assessments benefit from critical research conducted in advance. The RTSC is composed of 10 members: a member of the Mid-Atlantic Council’s SSC, a member of the New England Council’s SSC, a member of the ASMFC Assessment Science Committee, two regional scientific representatives (one each with expertise in Mid-Atlantic and New England stocks), and five NEFSC representatives (one member that serves as chair, three members from the Population Dynamics Branch, and one member from the Ecosystem Dynamics and Assessment Branch). The RTSC typically meets twice a year to identify, monitor, and prioritize research needs for upcoming research track assessments. The RTSC engages regularly with stakeholders to gather input and feedback, and RTSC meetings are open to the public and held via webinar.
Ongoing and Upcoming Assessments for MAFMC-Managed Species
Current Research Track Assessments:
June 2025 Management Track Assessments: Atlantic mackerel, black sea bass, bluefish, Northern shortfin squid (Illex), scup, summer flounder
Stock Assessment Meetings
All stock assessment meetings are open to the public. For a complete schedule of upcoming assessments, please see the 5-Year Stock Assessment Schedule. Additional information on future and past stock assessment related meetings is available on the NOAA Fisheries searchable events calendar.
Questions? Contact: Brian Hooper, NEFSC assessment process lead
Find a Stock Assessment
Completed Assessments: Visit the Stock Assessment Review Index (SARI) Search tool to find any final stock assessment documents, from 1985 to present, for a particular species.
Draft Assessment Documents: Visit the Stock Assessment Support Information (SASINF) Search Tool to search for information related to recent assessments, from 2015 to present, that have not yet been finalized. Available information may include draft reports, figures, tables, models, maps, and presentations.
Learn More About Stock Assessments
Regional Stock Assessment Resources
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC): The ASMFC has primary responsibility for planning and carrying out update and benchmark stock assessments for several state-managed stocks. Learn more on the ASMFC Stock Assessments page.
SouthEast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR): SEDAR is the cooperative process by which stock assessment projects are conducted in NOAA Fisheries’ Southeast Region. Currently, SEDAR conducts the stock assessment for blueline tilefish used for management by the Mid-Atlantic Council. Learn more on the SEDAR website.