Proceedings of the 66 th Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute November 4 - 8, 2013 Corpus Christi, Texas USA A Framework for Developing Scientific Management Guidance for Data-Limited Fisheries Un Marco para el Desarrollo de la Dirección Gerencia Científica para la Pesca de Datos Limitados Un Cadre pour L'élaboration de Principes de Gestion Scientifique des Pêches de Données Limitées ROD FUJITA*, KENDRA KARR, WILLOW BATTISTA, and DOUGLAS N. RADER Environmental Defense Fund, 123 Mission Street, San Francisco, California 94105 USA. *rfujita@edf.org. ABSTRACT Many data-limited stock evaluation methods are now available, but they typically do not estimate current stock abundance or biomass associated with the production of maximum sustainable yield. Instead, they provide a variety of fishery performance indicators that can be used together to estimate stock status and the sustainability of current levels of fishing. I will present a framework for using data-limited methods to assess the status of coral reef ecosystems with respect to fishing, characterize stock vulnerability to fishing, estimate stock status, and evaluate the sustainability of fishing in order to develop management guidance. I will also present a case study from Belize of how this framework can be used to inform adaptive management through a transparent and participatory process. KEY WORDS: Data limited, assessment, adaptive management INTRODUCTION The status of the world’s fisheries is uncertain, but only about 400 stocks are scientifically assessed (FAO 2012), probably a small fraction of the total number of exploited stocks in the world which may exceed 10,000 (Costello et al. 2012). An unknown but very large number of fish stocks are exploited in nearshore tropical ocean ecosystems such as coral reefs and estuaries, in jurisdictions that often have limited technical and financial resources to devote to fisheries manage- ment. As a result, these fisheries are often not assessed; more than 80% of global fisheries catch may come from fisheries that lack the necessary data, resources, infrastructure, and expertise to use conventional stock assessment models to support sustainable management (Costello et al. 2012, FAO 2011, Richard et al. 2011). Failure to assess the status and productivity of fish stocks is likely to increase the risk of stock collapse and the loss of social and economic benefits associated with sustainable yield. Because many of these fisheries occur in countries that rely heavily on fish products for food security, development, and overall well -being of local communities (Allison and Ellis 2001, Salas et al. 2007), the stakes are very high. One obstacle to increasing the number of stocks that are assessed has been the cost of data collection and developing stock assessments, especially for subsistence fisheries that do not generate much revenue. Other obstacles include the need for high levels of technical expertise to develop and run complex assessment models, and the need for long and rich data records to support conventional assessments. These obstacles can be overcome to some extent by using analytical methods that do not require long data records and can be done rapidly and cheaply (“data-limited” assessment methods). Some were developed decades ago, while others are relatively new (California Sea Grant College Program 2008, Honey et al. 2010). While data-limited methods tend to be precautionary (because they do not estimate Maximum Sustainable Yield reference points), arguably the risks and consequences of fishery collapse in unassessed fisheries are great enough to justify the use of these methods, especially since data collection and analytical costs are much lower in comparison to data -rich assessment methods. Assessment techniques are also available to estimate the overall status of ecosystems that support fisheries, and the ecological risks posed by fishing (Hobday et al. 2011, DFO 2012, Battista et al., In preparation) -- important steps toward ecosystem-based fisheries management. Where fishery management is non-existent, it may in fact be easier to implement ecosystem based management, as there may be fewer institutional barriers blocking implementation of fishery management aimed at both producing good yields and conserving a variety of other ecosystem services. Some data limited methods have been used for many years; others have been applied more recently. For example, overfishing thresholds generated from two data-limited methods (Depletion-Corrected Average Catch and Depletion-Based Stock Reduction Analysis) are now being used to manage 48 stocks off the West Coast of the U.S., and a few others elsewhere. While in some cases it will prove desirable to create rich streams of fishery data, in other cases data -limited methods and associated data streams may prove to be sufficient. In some ways, data-limited methods may yield improved management guidance compared with conventional data -rich stock assessments. For example, the simple comparisons of fish density to coral reef ecosystem thresholds described below can indicate the risk of driving the ecosystem into a less desirable state if the fish densities associated with the thresholds are known (e.g., McClanahan et al. 2011, Karr et al., In review) – providing a stepping stone to ecosystem based fishery