302 
Fishery Bulletin 115(3) 
B 
Figure 1 
Landings of Atlantic surfclam 
( Spisula solidissima ) during 
2008-2013 in the Mid-Atlantic 
Bight determined from a stock 
assessment by the NOAA North- 
east Fisheries Science Center 
(NEFSC 2 ). (A) The portion of the 
quota harvested from the entire 
stock off the northeastern coast of 
the United States (shown in met- 
ric tons [t] of meat). The opening 
of Georges Bank is responsible 
for the slight improvement in the 
percentage of quota harvested in 
2010. (B) The amount of catch 
that was reported from only 
the southern region of the fish- 
ing area along the northeastern 
coast of the United States, which 
excludes Georges Bank. 
New England regions (Cooley et al., 2015), and the oys- 
ter fishery in Delaware Bay (Powell et al., 2008). One 
method for examining the risks and benefits associated 
with area management and management plans in gen- 
eral is to conduct a management strategy evaluation 
(Smith, 1994). An MSE is a quantitative tool used to 
evaluate a range of possible management procedures 
by comparing performance statistics or metrics (But- 
terworth and Punt, 1999; Martell et al. 6 ; Punt et al., 
2014). Butterworth et al. (1997) describe management 
procedures as “a set of rules which utilize prespecified 
data to provide recommendations for management ac- 
tions.” Performance metrics must be chosen carefully, 
preferably in collaboration with the stakeholders of 
the fishery, to ensure clear and easy interpretation 
of simulation results (Francis and Shotton, 1997). As 
examples, MSE has been used to contrast the perfor- 
mance of fishery alternative management strategies in 
the Pacific halibut ( Hippoglossus stenolepis ) (Martell et 
al. 6 ), rock lobster ( Jasus edwardsii) (Punt et al., 2013), 
and U.S. southeastern king mackerel ( Scomberomorus 
cavalla ) (Miller et al., 2010) fisheries (see Spillman et 
al., 2009; Baudron et al., 2010; Bastardie et al., 2010 
for additional examples). 
The objective of our study is to evaluate a range of 
area management options that may improve the At- 
lantic surfclam stock and the Atlantic surfclam fish- 
ery in the MAB. The Atlantic surfclam stock for this 
study is defined as the portion of the U.S. stock from 
approximately Shinnecock, New York, south to Chesa- 
peake Bay. After specification of management options, 
the results of a series of simulations are presented and 
evaluated on the basis of performance metrics estimat- 
ed with varying Atlantic surfclam population dynam- 
ics and a range of commercial procedures, including 
fishing behaviors. The inclusion of fishing behavior is 
critical because captains respond to new management 
measures, and this response will in part determine the 
degree of success of those management measures after 
implementation (Bockstael and Opaluch, 1983; Gillis et 
al., 1995; Mackinson et al., 1997; Dorn, 2001; Millischer 
and Gascuel, 2006). Subsequent statistical analyses of 
performance metrics pertinent to population productiv- 
ity and fishery sustainability will be used to identify 
preferred management options that provide significant 
improvement in performance metrics in comparison 
with present-day management. 
Materials and methods 
Description of the model used for management strategy 
evaluation 
The spatially explicit fishery economics simulator (SE- 
FES) is an individual-based model of a temporally and 
spatially variable stock of Atlantic surfclam harvested 
by a fleet of individual commercial vessels (Fig. 2). The 
primary model is written in Fortran 90 and is then pro- 
cessed in MATLAB, 7 vers. R2015B (Math Works, Natick, 
6 Martell, S., B. Leaman, and I. Stewart. 2014. Develop- 
ments in the management strategy evaluation process, 
fisheries objectives, and implications for harvest policy and 
decision making. IPHC Rep. Assess. Res. Act. 2013:239— 
260. [Available from website.] 
7 Mention of trade names or commercial companies is for iden- 
tification purposes only and does not imply endorsement by 
the National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA. 
