Geostatistics for estimating shellfish biomass (KB-24-005-011)

The WOT shellfish survey is carried out annually to estimate abundances of key shellfish species. The survey is performed with a stratified grid design where higher sampling density reflects expected higher abundances. Estimates of total abundances are based on averages of swept areas, however geostatistics could provide a more robust method for estimating biomass from the given sampling design. We propose to follow a geostatistical approach to the WOT shellfish survey to calculate biomass and thereby better accounting for spatial processes.