Age validation in tailor (Pomatomus saltatrix)
A comprehensive age-validation exercise is needed to determine whether or not the existing ISAMP tailor age estimates are biased. If they are biased, adjustments could be applied to rectify the data and produce a more reliable mortality estimate.
If they prove to be unbiased, either the high Z value is correct, or older age-classes have been under-represented in the catch-at-age samples. In the latter case it would need to be demonstrated that the age composition of the ocean beach catch is different from that of the fully recruited sector of the entire population case, in order to rule out the possibility that the fishery is in a dangerous situation.