Simplifying the assessment and management of fisheries and other natural resources

This project aims to develop and evaluate an alternative approach to natural resource management, with particular emphasis on fisheries management in Europe. Traditional fisheries assessment models are based on trying to optimise yields, which requires a large amount of data. If data is unavailable or unreliable then assessment results are inaccurate and management becomes difficult. This project will develop an alternative approach based on monitoring trends and changes in key empirical indicators such as mean catch weight or proportion of fish of a certain age, which act as a proxy for the status of the fish stock. The indicator signal is analysed using simple process control techniques borrowed from the field of operational research. Combining the indicator signal with a harvest control rule that specifies the annual catch or effort will then result in a much simplified management framework. The ultimate aim of the project is to demonstrate that this simplified management framework can be used to manage European fisheries with only a minimal amount of data required. Hence, problems in the current system with unreliable or unavailable data and (some of) the vast expense of data collection can be reduced. The results will be of great interest to those in the fisheries science community and can be used immediately to support assessments completed by ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea). The simplified assessment and management framework is generic and need not be restricted to fisheries: results will also be of interest to those involved with management of other natural resources, including terrestrial systems.