1 Introduction
1.1 What this guide is
A follow-me cookbook for building CU-based escapement time series for State of the Salmon and Wild Salmon Policy (WSP) workflows.
This guide is intentionally practical: if you are in a known situation, you should be able to find the matching pattern and run it step-by-step.
1.2 Who this is for
- Biologists and analysts building CU time series for the first time
- Analysts who already build CU series but want reusable patterns and QA checks
- Reviewers who need a clear record of what was done and why
1.3 What this guide is not
- Not a full replacement for expert judgement
- Not a complete catalog of every CU edge case
- Not a place to reinvent existing code already used in production workflows
1.4 What you will produce
- CU-level time series outputs (wild/total as needed)
- Pop-level supporting outputs where applicable
- Metadata and metric-spec inputs suitable for WSP metric runs
- A repeatable run log and QC evidence package
1.5 How to use this cookbook
1.6 Five-step workflow at a glance
- Source data verification
- Site/survey selection
- Record selection
- Record processing
- Estimation to CU-level series
In parallel: complete metadata + metric specifications so the outputs can be reviewed and reused.
1.7 Core principles
- Reuse before rewrite: start from existing species workflows
- Document every exception: no hidden “magic” edits
- QC is part of the run: uniqueness, year coverage, schema checks
- Keep decisions explicit: when to apply a pattern, and when to escalate
1.8 Policy and method anchors
This cookbook aligns to core WSP references and related status-assessment methods:
- WSP policy page:
https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/salmon-saumon/wsp-pss/policy-politique-eng.html - CSAS 2007/070 (Conservation Units)
- CSAS 2009/058 (Indicators and benchmarks)
- CSAS ScR 2024/004 (Rapid status approximation context)