Habitat suitability index Model for neon flying squid adding its stock effect

We constructed the habitat suitability index (HSI) model of the winter-spring cohort of neon flying squid (Ommastrephes bartramii) for the estimate of its potential fishing zone off shore of Sanriku coast by applying Generalized Additive Model (GAM), which includes the stock term describing the effect of interannual change in the squid stocks. The results demonstrated that a significant improvement of HSI model performance by adding the stock effect term to GAM. This indicates that the potential habitat of neon flying squid could be better predicted by taking account of the stock effect, which includes the feeding condition of its paralavae and juveniles and the associated ocean state in the spawning ground a year before fishing.