Age-structured models are the models of choice for stock assessment and the most reliablemodels used in fisheries

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) received a formula grant award of $410,353.35 from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 5 under the Sport Fish Restoration program (CFDA 15.605) for the period of July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. This funding supports the ongoing operations and services of the VMRC's Age and Growth Laboratory, a specialized research facility that provides critical age-based catch data essential for fisheries stock assessment and management. The laboratory generates accurate and precise estimates of fish population age structure, which are required inputs for advanced age-structured models and Stock Synthesis statistical models used by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) to establish management regulations for species including striped bass and weakfish.

The Age and Growth Laboratory has been a cornerstone of Virginia's fisheries management infrastructure for more than two decades, with operations relocated from Old Dominion University to VMRC in 2019. By providing reliable age-composition data, the laboratory enables the development of stock assessment reference points necessary to maintain sustainable fish populations and informs catch and effort limitation policies. This formula grant funding directly supports Virginia's participation in regional fisheries management workshops and reinforces the state's leadership role in establishing standardized metrics for fisheries assessment and monitoring across the Atlantic coast.

The most recent management regulations promulgated by the atlanticstates marine fisheries commission (asmfc) for striped bass and weakfish, among others, haverelied on a group of models called dynamic pool models and age-structured analysis (ASA) thatrequire information on fish population age structure. Most recently, scientists on the US westcoast have introduced even newer statistical models (stock synthesis) that have begun to be usedon the east coast. These models provide the necessary information to develop stock assessmentreference points or proxies to maintain healthy stocks for future generations. However, thesemodels work well only when they are based on reliable data, which include accurate and preciseestimates of age. Virginia marine resources commission (vmrc) age and growth laboratory wasestablished at old dominion university (ODU) in 1998 by the cooperation between vmrc and ODU, and was relocated to vmrc in 2019. The age and growth laboratory has been providing reliableestimates of age-based catches for more than two decades. The development of these facilitieshas resulted in virginia s increased participation and leadership in workshops that establish themetrics used to determine catch and effort limitations.