Consequences of Misaligned Stock Assessment and Population Boundaries
February 11, 2021
We explore the consequences of management boundaries tending to be static and determined by politically negotiated or historically identified population units.
Fisheries policy inherently relies on an explicit definition of management boundaries that delineate the spatial extent over which stocks are assessed and regulations are implemented.
However, management boundaries tend to be static and determined by politically negotiated or historically identified population (or multi-species) units, which create a potential disconnect with underlying, dynamic population structure.
The consequences of incoherent management and population or stock boundaries were explored through the application of a two-area spatial simulation–estimation framework.
Results highlight the importance of aligning management assessment areas with underlying population structure and processes.
Directed studies and due consideration of critical PSs, spatially explicit models, and dynamic management options that help align management and population boundaries would likely reduce estimation biases and management risk, as would closely coordinated management that functions across population boundaries.
Berger AM, Deroba JJ, Bosley KM, Goethel DR, Langseth BJ, Schueller AM, Hanselman DH. 2021. Incoherent dimensionality in fisheries management: consequences of misaligned stock assessment and population boundaries. ICES Journal of Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsaa203.