Science and Its Role in the National Marine Fisheries Service (2002) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
5. Adequacy of the Use of Science in Fishery Managment
5. Adequacy of the Use of Science in Fishery Managment
Pages 34-43
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From page 34... ...
This mission expands the tasks that NMFS must undertake. The 1996 revisions to the MSFCMA added three new National Standards to the Act and two of these, 8 and 9, along with the strengthened prohibition on overfishing and duty to rebuild stocks, add major analytical tasks to NMFS's already full plate.
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From page 35... ...
Despite the good intentions that motivated the development of that program, there are only five fellowships in population dynamics and three in marine resource economics, with a potential for only six fellows in each discipline at any specific time. Because these are multiyear fellowships, they will result in fewer than a dozen fellows ready to enter the workforce each year woefully inadequate when balanced against the projected retirement of 500 fisheries scientists within the next 10 years and the need for an additional 358 stock assessment and data collection personnel needed to upgrade stock assessments to a nationally acceptable level (NRC, 2000b)
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From page 36... ...
Both require information about the population response to changes typically brought about by human intervention, both seek to limit conditions that affect mortality while promoting conditions that induce optimal productivity. But the differences in the nature of the science required between endangered species and exploited species create challenges for NMFS.
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From page 37... ...
NMFS provides the personnel for developing and evaluating stock assessments, but the councils and their advisory groups also provide expertise. Council advisory committees in which NMFS scientists, council staff, and independent scientists (such as council scientific and statistical committees)
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From page 38... ...
A byproduct of that situation is that the participants can lose some of their objectivity in providing review advice. The structure is probably intended to inject broader scientific consensus into the production of the assessment and to shield NMFS stock assessment scientists from the political process.
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From page 39... ...
For example, the Gulf of Maine cod stock is heavily fished. Current fishing mortality is estimated at around F = 0.7 per year.
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From page 40... ...
Additional questions could be asked: What are the economic consequences of reducing directed harvest versus reducing incidental catch? What sector of the industry is most likely to be affected?
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From page 41... ...
As economic and social stresses increase, individual discount rates tend to rise, leading to ever-greater emphasis on short-term results.
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From page 42... ...
They are not discounted, they are not uncertain, and they usually affect well-defined groups. When the scientific advice is to restrict catches today to avoid deplet1ng the resource tomorrow, it is frequently ignored.
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From page 43... ...
Quantifying goals will place the focus on measuring outcomes, providing objective measures to assess decision-makers' performance, and guiding analysts in evaluating alternatives. Monitoring past actions will reduce ignorance about the fisheries system and thereby reduce uncertainty associated with the future.
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