Estimation of survey efficiency and biomass for commercially important species from industry-based paired gear experiments

Fishery-independent surveys provide valuable information about trends in population abundance for management of commercially important fish stocks. A critical component the relationship catches survey to size a stock is catch efficiency gear. Using general hierarchical model we estimated relative chain sweep rockhopper used by Northeast Fisheries Science Center bottom trawl from paired-gear experimental tows carried out between 2015 and 2017 using twin-trawl vessel. For 10 species, fitted compared set models with alternative assumptions variation paired gear tows, diel effects on efficiency, extra-binomial observations within tows. These analyses provided evidence changes all species were but one species. We then data 2009 2019 estimates best performing estimate annual seasonal sweep-based swept area biomass 17 managed uncertainty results bootstrap procedures each component. also assessed effect calibration correlation estimates.