Design and Analysis of Statistically Sound Catch Sampling Programmes is an applied statistical methods course, concerned almost exclusively with the design of commercial fishery data collection based on statistical sampling schemes. The course examines problems of applying sampling methods, particularly the principles of sample selection and basic estimation, using case studies to demonstrate practical application.
The course is at a moderately advanced statistical level, and while it will not develop the mathematical aspects of sampling theory, it will include statistical notation. Attendees should be comfortable with introductory -level statistical concepts regarding sampling designs.
Course basis
- A measure of data quality is becoming increasingly important in stock assessments
- The EU multi-annual data collection programme (DC-MAP) is likely to have strong requirement for countries to demonstrate that their fishery sampling schemes conform to best-practice in statistically-sound design and analysis
- ICES Quality Assurance Framework workshops dealing with fishery sampling show that many national sampling schemes are still ad-hoc and therefore subject to bias
- There is a need to strengthen the statistical expertise in design and analysis of catch sampling programmes in many national institutes
