A proposed process for the management of model updates and software versions for stock assessment used within CCAMLR with the example of the CASAL software

We propose a process by which to select the version of software generally used for stock assessments in CCAMLR, with the specific example of the CASAL software used for stock assessment. The latest published version of any stock assessment software approved by CCAMLR should be used by default, unless the latest development version is necessary, in which case it is the responsibility of the author to demonstrate that the latest development version performs as expected. As an example, the latest published version of CASAL should be used by default for stock assessments unless particular features available only in a more recent development version are necessary. If a different version is used, then the scientist proposing the stock assessment is responsible for ensuring the version used is performing as expected.