The Northeast Region Coordinating Council (NRCC) works together to plan stock assessment schedules.
Previous schedules are available here.
Stock Assessment Process
In 2020 the NRCC replaced “Benchmark” and “Operational” assessments with the “Research” and “Management” Track assessment process. This offered a more collaborative stock assessment process with assessments scheduled five years in advance.
Starting in 2025, the NRCC reduced the number of planned management track stock assessments to align with decreased regional capacity and resources. Data updates and projections updates replaced some of the previously planned assessments. Most previously planned Research Track stock assessments were placed on hold. The NRCC has revised the 2026 and 2027 assessment schedules while it conducts longer-term planning. The NRCC will continue to communicate with constituents, partners, and the public as its planning and adaptation efforts continue.
Assessment Related Definitions
Research track assessments are complex scientific efforts focused either on assessments of individual stocks or research topics that apply to assessments of several stocks. These assessments are typically carried out over several years and may involve comprehensive evaluation of new data streams and model changes. Research track assessments are designed to directly inform future management track assessments but might not immediately inform management decisions.
Management track assessments provide routine, scheduled, updated advice to directly inform management actions. Management track assessments are designed to be simpler, quicker, and more efficient than Research Track assessments. The management track assessment process provides scientists some flexibility to improve the science when problems arise or new data become available, without requiring a research track assessment.
Data updates are summaries of new data that have become available since the last management track assessment. Specifically, they update (1) total U.S. catch (landings and discards) by commercial and recreational sector, as appropriate, and (2) aggregated NEFSC survey indices.
Projections updates use the existing peer-reviewed assessment model, and projections are updated by adding realized catch for recent years instead of assumed catch, then re-running the projections for a specified number of years. The updated projections do not update the assessment model or the terminal year of the assessment.