Why is fisheries management so difficult? Lecture 1 – The Basics

1. Presentation to the University of Cape Town Summer School, Thursday 13 January 2022: 48pp, titled: "Why is fisheries management so difficult? Lecture 1 – The Basics".

The basics of the scientific principles underlying fisheries management are explained by the use of financial analogies. The core concept of sustainability is illustrated by its correspondence to a pensioner having to live off the interest on investments and not delve into capital. The data typically available for fisheries analyses are summarised, with their weaknesses exposed. Then the basis of how such data are transformed to fishery catch limit recommendations is summarised, showing how sound advice (robust to uncertainties) can be developed, notwithstanding these data limitations. Finally, reference is made to a key recent scientific advance in the field (close-kin genetics), and a brief overview is provided of the status of fisheries management and fish stocks, both globally and in South Africa.