Comment on “Differences in predicted catch composition between two widely used catch equation formulations”Appears in Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 66: 126–132.

Abstract

Branch (2009. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 66: 126–132) described the two most common catch equation formulations in stock assessment models: the continuous (Baranov) one, which represents fishing mortality as an instantaneous rate, F, and the discrete one, in which it is represented as an exploitation rate, u. He claimed that the continuous formulation is preferable at high fishing mortality where a fish could encounter multiple sets of gear within a year. This claim is wrong for two reasons. First, it is based on the false supposition that the discrete catch equations require the assumption that fish encounter at most only one set of fishing gear in a year. Second, it is not possible to determine, for a specific stock assessment, whether one formulation is preferable to another solely on the basis of information about the fishery. The appropriate way to make this decision is to see which fits the data better.