3.15 Compensatory natural mortality

Compensatory changes in natural mortality rate (M) can be simulated by combining two effects: nonzero ‘Feeding time adjustment rate’ (set on the Group info? form), and either high EE from Ecopath or high proportion of Mo due to predation (unexplained predation > 0).  With these settings, especially when Vulnerabilities? of prey to a group are low, decreases in biomass lead to reduced feeding time, which leads to proportional reduction in natural mortality rate.