Report of the Benchmark Workshop on Short-lived Species (WKSHORT)

The WKSHORT 2009 Benchmark Workshop was held at the Institute of Marine Research in Bergen, Norway from 31 August–4 September 2009. The Workshop was chaired by Jim Berkson (USA), with support from ICES Coordinator Harald Gjøsaeter (Norway), and involved 29 participants from 12 nations. The primary objectives of the Workshop were to evaluate the appropriateness of the data and methods used in the assessments of four stocks – Barents Sea capelin, Icelandic capelin, Bay of Biscay anchovy, and North Sea sprat – and also to discuss possible improvements to these assessments. The Stock Annexes are the most important product of this process, with each annex containing all relevant information that the Benchmark Workshop participants have identified as current best practice assessment inputs and models, providing sufficient detail to ensure that future assessment scientists can readily replicate assessments without the need to have been previously involved in such assessments.