Integrative fish stock assessment by frequentist methods: confidence distributions and likelihoods for bowhead whales

Abstract

Frequentist concepts of confidence distribution, reduced likelihood and likelihood synthesis are presented as tools for integrative statistical analysis, leading to distributional inference. Bias correction, often achieved by simulations, is emphasised. The methods are illustrated on data concerning bowhead whales off Alaska, and they are briefly compared with Bayesian methods.

Keywords

• bowhead whales
• likelihood synthesis
• confidence distribution
• reduced likelihood
• meta-analysis