North West Shelf Joint Environmental Management Study:InVitro Inputs - Iconic species dynamics

The iconic species examined in the MSE are turtles and sharks. For both groups the populations are represented by the animal agent model for post-larval stages and spatial dynamics and the blastula agent for reproduction and spatial dynamics of very early life history stages. This representation enables density dependent processes to apply to natural mortality at larval and post-larval stages and to egg production. It allows spatially explicit treatment of larval and post-larval stages, but there is no explicit spatial structure at the egg stage other than eggs being confined to their suitable habitat. Biological parameter values for the species were taken from the literature and modified slightly during model calibration to give plausible biomass levels under the levels of fishing pressure or catch recorded from the North West Shelf.