A spatial and temporal perspective on research and management of groundfish in the northwest Atlantic

Abstract

Abstract Fish populations have been exploited along the northeastern coast of North America for over 500 years. During this period, an extensive knowledge of fish distributions and habitat has developed both as anecdotal and scientific literature. Despite this knowledge, catches and stocks have fluctuated widely. As a result of a large decline in the fish stocks that is primarily attributed to overfishing, the region is currently experiencing the implementation of extreme management initiatives to allow the exploited stocks to recover. As our scientific knowledge of fish populations increases, the question arises as to how we integrate our knowledge of fish and fishers, at multiple scales, and produce a management structure that maintains stocks at sustainable levels. This article addresses that question by reviewing patterns and processes exhibited by both fishers and fish through a hierarchy of temporal and spatial scales. Large‐scale population surveys, for example, document the persistence of patterns...