Abstract

Fisheries can be effectively managed to conserve ecosystem resources and achieve societal objectives such as seafood production, recreational opportunities, and sustenance of fishing communities. Fisheries science involves monitoring fisheries and fishery resources, assessing status of the resource and fishery, and predicting the response of the resource to alternative management decisions. Trends in fisheries management include ending overfishing, application of precautionary approaches, management strategy evaluation, and consideration of ecosystems. Maximum sustainable yield has played a central role in the history of fishery management and continues to be an organizing concept in fisheries science.