History of work towards updating the IWC's 'Requirements and Guidelines for Conducting Surveys and Analysing Data within the Revised Management Scheme'

Summary

Introduction Miller and Kelly (2023) provides some guidelines on spatial model-based estimation of abundance (and its uncertainty) from counts of cetaceans obtained using standard distance sampling line transect surveys. Work underpinning the development of the guidelines document has taken several years, and this paper provides an overview of the impetus for the project, and how it aligns with the work of the IWC-SC. Reference to the RMP/RMS is because the original aim was to develop guidelines to align with the Requirements and Guidelines for Conducting Surveys and Analysing Data within the Revised Management Scheme; the guidelines, however, are helpful for abundance estimation in general.