Report of the Benchmark and Data Compilation

The WKROUND 2009 benchmark workshop was held at ICES Headquarters in

Copenhagen from 16–23 January 2009. The workshop was chaired by Pamela Mace

(New Zealand) and ICES Coordinators Chris Darby (UK) and Eero Aro (Finland) and

involved 38 participants representing 13 nations. The primary objectives of the

Workshop were to compile and evaluate data sources and select appropriate

assessment models to include in updated Stock Annexes for six stocks: North Sea

whiting, North Sea cod, Celtic Sea cod, Kattegat cod, Western Baltic cod and Eastern

Baltic cod. Benchmark workshops are designed to consider stocks under their

jurisdiction on a rotational basis, with each stock being analysed in a 3–5 year cycle.

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. The report

also details the analyses undertaken during the benchmark workshop to inform the

Stock Annexes.