Detailed knowledge of the status and productivity of stocks has been the primary focus of fisheries management in order to maximize resource extraction. Ironically, maximum extraction is usually constrained only by the most optimistic stock scenarios from detailed single species models. This has led to degradation of marine ecosystems because natural variability and effects on nontarget species have not been adequately considered. Furthermore, the very act of gathering knowledge about ecosystem degradation has the potential to cause further damage due to the systemwide scale of fishery management experiments. However, a strategic approach for identifying trade-offs and risks of management experiments can simultaneously optimize knowledge-gathering, conservation goals, and economic sustainability.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.