Viewpoint: the interface between scientific advice and fisheries managementa

• Published in: ICES Journal of Marine Science
• Main Author: Hoydal, Kjartan
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press (OUP) 2007
• Subjects: Ecology; Aquatic Science; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Oceanography; North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsm010; http://academic.oup.com/icesjms/article-pdf/64/4/846/29128533/fsm010.pdf

Abstract Hoydal, K. 2007. Viewpoint: the interface between scientific advice and fisheries management. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 846–850. Basic elements in responsible, robust, and sustainable fishery management frameworks are well understood and easily listed. Common sense and international law underline the prominent role of science in management. Most managers request peer-reviewed advice based on an objective assessment of the impact of fisheries on marine ecosystems, to create a basis for sustainable and profitable fisheries. Management systems in the North Atlantic rely extensively on advice on total allowable catches (TACs) to control fishing mortality in stocks under regulation. This leads to an unhelpful focus on inherently uncertain catch forecasts. With the wisdom of hindsight, TACs have rarely led to the predicted reduction in fishing mortality. And because of the focus on TACs, other elements in the management framework, notably overcapacity and other economic and social constraints, do not receive the necessary attention. A comparison of the way fishing advice is acquired with the same process in the hydrocarbon extraction industry draws attention to the multi-user problem in marine fisheries management.