Reproducible Visualization of Raw Fisheries Data for 113 Species Improves Transparency, Assessment Efficiency, and Monitoring

Modern survey and fishery observation programs generate vast quantities of data. However, regulatory agencies often lack the capacity to translate those data into effective monitoring information. Here, we describe an approach of automated visualization of raw fisheries data and demonstrate it with a report on 113 groundfish species in Pacific Canadian waters. Our implementation consists of two pages per species that show standardized visualizations of temporal trends and spatial distributions of commercial catches and survey indices, along with analyses of age, size, maturity, and growth. The approach facilitates discussions on stock assessment and survey prioritization, increases transparency about data holdings, and makes data available for regular review by interested parties. We encourage other agencies to consider similar approaches for their own data.