Gulf of California species and catch spatial distributions and historical time series - Developing end-to-end models of the Gulf of California

The purpose of this project is to develop spatially discrete end-to-end models of the northern Gulf of California, linking oceanography, biogeochemistry, food web interactions, habitat, fisheries, economics, monitoring, and management into a common model framework.

This framework allows for thought experiments, including evaluation of alternate management strategies, identifying robust indicators, and assessing relative importance of different ecosystem drivers in regulating important processes. NMFS personnel are conducting this work in broad collaboration with a consortium of Mexican federal, state, NGO and academic scientists. The specific work entails model development, scoping issues with stakeholders and policy makers, running scenarios, and analyzing and writing up the results. Products include peer-reviewed papers, presentations, and workshops with modelers and/or stakeholders. Management audiences include Mexican governmental bodies and conservation organizations. The project is an on-going, stand-alone project with no firm deadline for completion.
Available online as appendices: NOAA Tech. Memo., NMFS-NWFSC-110.