Report of the Inter Benchmark Protocol for Megrim in Subarea IV and Division IVa (IBPMeg)

An initial report (Minto and Graham, 2012) was submitted to IBPMeg_2012. The re-port described the assessment approach and analyses undertaken for the revised as-sessment of the stock of Megrim in VIa and IVa using a Bayesian state–space biomass dynamic model. The report formed the primary content of the initial review with a number of recent publications provided as background material.

Following an initial response from the reviewers, the report (Minto and Graham, 2012) was modified and expanded to address the specific concerns raised. This report outlines the reviewers’ considerations on the revised document and the conclusions of the inter-benchmark review of the megrim assessment. The concerns raised in the initial response are provided in Appendix 1 of this report and the revised stock annex given in Appendix 2.

The specific issues raised concerned the input data to the assessment model, aspects of the model fit and the appropriate use of the model outputs within a management framework.