Background
Decisions for fisheries management, such as quota setting, are based on complex scientific analyses, such as stock assessments. Peer review of these analyses is important to the decision-making processes, because it helps to ensure that the analyses do not contain errors, that the assessments have accounted for potential biases in the underlying data and models, and that the inherent uncertainties in the results are effectively communicated to the managers. Fisheries management organizations in many coastal states have developed their own peer review processes, and a symposium that will document and compare these processes is planned for the annual meeting of the American Fisheries Society (AFS) in August 2017.
Purpose
This open session provides the ICES community with an opportunity to discuss and evaluate different approaches to the peer review of fisheries-science products, and, based on the evaluation of the approaches, to consider options for improving peer review processes employed by ICES and its member countries.
Presentations:
- The current state of peer review in the ICES system, including its strengths and challenges
- Overview and summary of the key findings of the AFS symposium, including conclusions related to how peer review for fisheries science may be upgraded/improved or adapted to meet a range of needs and expectations
Expert panel & discussion:
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the ICES peer review system?
- What are options for improving the ICES peer review system?
