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.