Discrete Mixture Models - Discrete mixture models are mixtures of discrete distributions, usually mixtures of multinomials. These are increasingly important in a number of applied biology fields as field methods and genetic data analysis have become more robust, easier, and cheaper. They have a long history in the management of interception fisheries in order to estimate the harvest (or escapement) contributions from various known stocks of interest. Increasingly, the methods are being used to study the population structure and migration patterns of animals such as sea turtles and other endangered geese.
These topics were a main focus during my tenure at Alaska Department of Fish and Game's Gene Conservation Laboratory (1999-2002).