Summary
To compare SDM approaches, we modeled albacore tuna habitat suitability
in the NEP using two fishery-dependent (vessel logbook data) and
independent (electronic archival tags) albacore occurrence datasets
spanning from 1995 - 2019. We compared three models that varied both in
their approaches to how they leverage diverse data types and account for
spatial dependence (Table 1). These models included two dynamic
environmental variables, monthly mean sea surface temperature (SST) and
mixed layer depth (MLD), that were sourced from a high-resolution,
data-assimilating ocean model and one static variable representing
bathymetry (Supporting Information). We compared the performance of each
model under novel conditions (i.e., MHWs) across two dimensions:predictive skill and ecological realism . Models were fit
to training data from 1995 - 2013 and retrospectively forecasted at
monthly timesteps from 2014 - 2019, a time period when the NEP
experienced multiple large and intense MHWs.