RT journal article
T1 Using Benford's Law to Detect Possible Biases in Reported Catches of Tropical Tuna From the Indian Ocean
A1 Domínguez Bustos, Ángel Rafael
A1 Cabrera Castro, Remedios
A1 Ramos, María Lourdes
A1 Abaunza, Pablo
A1 Báez, José Carlos
A2 Biología
K1 Benford's law
K1 catch data
K1 data quality
K1 historical series
K1 Indian Ocean
K1 purse seiner
K1 Spain
K1 tropical tuna fisheries
AB Accuracy of catch landing data reported by captains of commercial vessels is crucial in the assessment of marine species stocks and in fisheries policy and management. However, this data can be subject to estimation biases, such as a tendency to inflate some catches (to the detriment of others) and refusal to fill in logbooks. We assessed the accuracy of catch reports from the Spanish tropical tuna purse seine fleet (which accounts for 26% of catches in the Indian Ocean) using Benford's law, a mathematical principle effective for detecting irregularities across multiple datasets. During 2013–2020, including periods before and after the implementation of total allowable catch (TAC) limits in 2017, reported catches differed from Benford's expected distribution, especially for bigeye tuna, indicating potential inaccuracies in reported catches. Changes in data reporting after TAC limits were imposed in 2017 suggested modifications in fishing operations and reporting practices. Use of Benford's law highlighted its potential as an auditing tool in fisheries management and provided insights into data integrity that are crucial for sustainable fisheries governance.
PB John Wiley and Sons Inc
SN 1365-2400
YR 2025
FD 2025
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/35841
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/35841
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 13-nov-2026