Abstract
As the world population grows, fisheries practitioners will be under increased pressure to address global challenges in data-limited fisheries management. With a focus on addressing localized and case-specific management needs, we provide a practical guide to the design and development of multi-indicator frameworks for fishery management. In a data-limited context, indicators are observations or estimates of the state of the fishery resource that are typically proxies for variables of interest, rather than quantities such as stock biomass estimated from data-rich stock assessments. Indicator frameworks structure the integration and interpretation of indicators to guide tactical fishery decision-making, often when the application of more formal analytical assessments is not feasible, yet where indicators in combination provide insight into stock status. With a focus on multi-indicator frameworks, we describe a pragmatic approach for their development via a set of organizational steps, considering a wide spectrum of types and severity of information limitations. We highlight where multi-indicator frameworks can be insightful and informative in relation to single indicator approaches but also point to potential pitfalls, with emphasis on critical evaluation and detection of performance flaws during the design phase using methods such as management strategy evaluation.
Highlights
Fisheries provide food and jobs for hundreds of millions of people across the globe
We provide guidance for the design and development of multi-indicator frameworks by crafting a set of organizational steps (Figure 1)
Supported by a synthesis of the literature, the guidance we provide is motivated by a desire to encourage practitioners to identify their own pathway to overcoming challenges in the design of multi-indicator frameworks
Summary
Fisheries provide food and jobs for hundreds of millions of people across the globe. Yet between one third to one half of fisheries are likely to be unsustainably fished, limiting their potential to achieve conservation and food provisioning objectives (Costello et al, 2012, 2016; FAO, 2020b). The step is to assimilate the various identified indicators into a framework that enables greater insight into the status of the stock than would any of the indicators in isolation (for example, changes in mean size data might be interpreted quite differently if fishers are suddenly fishing further offshore, or if the target species have changed) (see Box 1). This step involves determining the type of management measure(s) that could be used, along with the magnitudes of adjustments to management measures under various states of the resource.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
