The challenges of modelling and assessing fisheries resources

Many years after the publication of Beverton and Holt's on the Dynamics of Exploited Fish Populations in 1957, many of the problems that they highlighted remain unsolved. For example, accurately estimating critical biological and fishing processes such as growth, natural mortality, recruitment, and selectivity continues to be challenging. Despite the lack of progress in some areas, there have been advances in our understanding of other areas of fisheries modelling and analysis, including the development of integrative studies of marine resources for the application of an ecosystem-based fisheries management. In this context, ICES Journal of Marine Science solicited contributions to the themed article set (TS) "Advances and challenges in the modelling and assessment of fishery resources". Here, we summarize the contributions included in this TS that provide examples of emerging tools that are able to account for different issues of a stocks' assessments and integrated analyses.