The right performance indicators (PIs) for a given fishery will depend on the fishery management goals (i.e., what outcomes you are hoping to be moving toward) as well as on the available data (which will determine whether the PI can be evaluated and the types of assessment methods that can be applied). Ideally, several PIs will be identified for each of the Fishery Sustainability and Climate Resilience Goals that can be evaluated with independent data streams so that they can be used to corroborate each other and reduce uncertainty about the status of the fishery. Table 1 provides some examples of common performance indicators that might be used to track progress toward specific goals.
Step 7, Table 1: Examples Performance Indicators for Specific Goals
|
GOAL: |
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS: |
DATA STREAM: |
|---|---|---|
|
Fishery Sustainability Goals: |
||
|
Stop catching juvenile fish (before they have a chance to reproduce) |
% of the catch made up of juveniles; Spawning Potential Ratio (SPR) |
Length composition of the catch |
|
Decrease bycatch to avoid serial depletion |
% of catch made up of each different species; Density of each species in the water |
Catch trends by species; Visual census data |
|
Protect ecological roles of fish |
MPA Density Ratio |
Visual census data, fishery independent fishing survey data |
|
Stop overfishing and maintain sustainable yields |
Fishing mortality rate (F); Catch trends |
Length composition of the catch; Total catch |
|
Strong fishery profits |
Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE); fishing costs, revenues, or profit |
Catch trends |
|
Climate Resilience Goals: |
||
|
Sustainable harvest as stock ranges and productivities shift |
Fishing mortality on the most climate-vulnerable species; % of the catch made up of the most climate-vulnerable species; SPR of most climate-vulnerable species; Amount of change in location of high-catch areas |
Visual census data; Length composition of the catch by species; Total catch by species; GPS-associated catch data; Fisher knowledge |
|
Healthy, resilient ecosystems |
MPA density ratio; Ecosystem health metrics (dependent on ecosystem type) |
Catch trends by species; Visual census data |
|
Foster flexibility of fishers as species mix changes |
SPR of species that are highly sensitive to climate change and species that are less sensitive; Changes in health and extent of different habitat types |
Length composition of the catch by species; Visual habitat census data |
|
Sustainable harvest of emerging stocks |
Fishing mortality on new stocks; MPA density ratio of new stocks |
Catch trends by species; Visual census data |
For step-by-step guidance on choosing the appropriate PIs for your fishery, see the Guidance document for choosing PIs, identifying RPs, and defining HCRs in the downloadable Workbook.
Once a set of PIs have been selected that can tell us how we’re doing at meeting our goals, we’ll identify appropriate Reference Points (RPs) against which to compare them, determine some Harvest Control Rules (HCRs) to dictate our choices once our PI measurements come in (Step 8), and then select and conduct the appropriate assessments to confidently measure those PIs given the data we have available (Step 9).
It’s important to think critically about the life history of your target species when selecting PIs and RPs. Many PIs for stock status are based on an assumption that the species grows steadily throughout its life. However, many common fishery targets like crustaceans grow episodically, between molts. Other PIs are based on the idea that if spawning stock is preserved, stock status can be maintained. While this is true of most finfish, some species of finfish and many types of invertebrates like squid and octopus spawn only once and die, meaning that it is probably more important to protect juveniles from fishing pressure so they can mature and spawn than to protect adults after they spawn.