Collective dynamics and model verification: Connecting kinetic modeling to data

Modeling fish migration with an interacting particle model

Alethea Barbaro

Case Western Reserve University
[SLIDES]

The Icelandic Capelin is a stock of fish which spends most of its lifespan in the waters around Iceland. The capelin is important to the region both economically and ecologically, hence Iceland is quite careful to set fishing quotas at a level which will allow the stock to flourish. However, it is often difficult for the Marine Research Institute of Iceland to find the capelin in time to perform an adequate stock assessment. We present a Vicsek-type interacting particle model to simulate the route of the spawning migration, showing the results of the model juxtaposed with the data from the Marine Research Institute of Iceland. We then take a closer look at the properties of the model, also discussing extensions to make it more physiologically correct.