Application of a one-dimensional geostatistical procedure to fisheries acoustic surveys of Alaskan pollock

Abstract

The transitive theory in geostatistics provides an approach for the estimation of variance and characterization of spatial structure in fisheries acoustic surveys. For equally spaced, parallel transect surveys, the acoustic data collected along a transect can be summed and represented by a single value, thus reducing the problem to one dimension. This methodology is applied to acoustic surveys of walleye pollock in Alaska. Results show similarity in spatial structure within areas between years, and diVerences between areas. Estimation errors are computed for each survey, and compared by region and year and, under certain assumptions, for varying intertransect distances. An attempt is made to validate the technique with empirical data from replicate surveys in the Shelikof Strait. ? 1996 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea