Development of a theoretical and practical foundation for the assessment of abundance of large pelagic species

当动物形成开放种群时，很难估计它们的数量。这意味着有动物以一种通常未知的速度进出种群。当用于没有动物迁徙或迁出的封闭种群时，标记和重新捕获模型在测量丰度方面是有效的。然而，当标记和重新捕获模型应用于开放的动物种群时，例如大型中上层物种，我们必须通过最大似然法估计迁入率和迁移率，这会使丰度估计产生偏差。在这项研究计划中，通过整合传统和尖端的新技术，我将开发和测试新的创新程序，以准确确定变量的值，这些变量形成了开发大型中上层物种开放种群的准确标记和重新捕获模型估计的关键假设。目前的估计数不准确，因为关键假设尚未经过检验，因为不存在这样做所需的工具。

It is very difficult to estimate the abundance of animals when they form open populations. This means that there are animals entering and exiting the population at a rate that is usually unknown. Mark and recapture models are effective for measuring abundance when used on closed populations where there is no immigration or emigration of animals. However, when mark and recapture models are applied to open populations of animals, such as large pelagic species, we must estimate through a maximum likelihood approach the rates of immigration and emigration and this biases the estimates of abundance. In this research program, by integrating conventional and cutting edge new technology, I will develop and test new innovative procedures to accurately determine values of variables that form key assumptions for the development of accurate mark and recapture model estimates of abundance for open populations of large pelagic species. Present estimates are inaccurate because critical assumptions have not been tested as the tools required to do this did not exist.