A review of assessment methods and the development of management procedures for data-poor fisheries

There are as yet few quantitative measures in place to manage the majority of low-value fish stocks worldwide, mainly due to the lack of reliable data on which to base quantitative assessments. The FAO (2010) has highlighted the need for the development of scientific assessment methods and management procedures for an estimated 90% of the stocks exploited worldwide that are currently not assessed. Formal quantitative stock assessments are generally costly, because they are expertise hungry and demand large quantities of time and information. As such, they do not present a practical management solution for most data-poor stocks, particularly when these are also low value (as is generally the case). Due to the high costs of data collection, these methods and procedures need to be less data-demanding, easy to implement, give reliable estimates of stock status were possible (e.g. abundance relative to some biomass reference point such as MSY B ) and provide the quantitative information necessary for providing effective management solutions. This review summarises a suite of approaches when data are limited. These approaches include both simple assessment methods and empirical management procedures (or harvest control rules) grouped according to the data required.

The Report consists of three parts: Part 1 gives an overview of world practices in fisheries assessment and management, followed by Part 2 which reviews existing data-poor assessment methods and their application to provide management advice. The Report concludes with Part 3 which provides two examples of the evaluation of the performance of some simple management procedures when applied to two data-poor stocks.