Introduction

Motivation for Developing the FishPath Tool and FishPath Process

Well-managed, sustainable fisheries have a few common elements no matter the circumstance - the rules that govern sustainable fisheries practices are transparent, supported by stakeholders, and tailored to the fishery context. More technically, this involves collecting data, which feed into an assessment, and then using assessment results to inform management measures. However, only a small fraction of the world’s fisheries have these sustainable management systems in place, with resource- and data-limited fisheries facing significant challenges in their development. Notable recent progress has been achieved in the development of stock assessments and other data-limited tools, but outstanding challenges for data-limited fisheries lie in selecting and implementing appropriate options for data collection, stock assessment, and management measures — the key components of a harvest strategy.

Due to a wide variety of possibilities, understanding the full suite of available data collection, stock assessment, and management measure options and choosing the options most appropriate for each fishery is often a daunting process. Exacerbating the challenge of numerous options, data-limited fisheries are often simultaneously capacity- or resource-limited. In addition, small-scale fisheries have unique characteristics and challenges which require tailored plans. Singular or generic approaches that do not fully consider the entire fishery’s unique challenges must be avoided. An enormous challenge lies in broadening the accessibility of technical information, resources, and harvest strategy support tools, while not oversimplifying the innate complexity and nuanced aspects of each individual fishery setting.

FishPath was created to address these challenges. It was developed through a collaboration between The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). FishPath is an approach for setting fisheries on the path to sustainability. The FishPath approach streamlines something that everyone working in fisheries strives to do — figure out what to do with what you have. It provides an organized, efficient and inclusive way to do it.

The overall FishPath approach includes a stakeholder engagement process which is underpinned by the FishPath Tool. The broader FishPath Process aims to engage stakeholders and build capacity to develop management measures that are tailored to local conditions and challenges. The FishPath Tool supports the process of identifying viable components of the management strategy.

FishPath Tool Overview

The FishPath Tool is an online decision-support tool for data-limited fisheries management. The primary goal of the FishPath Tool is to support users in understanding and refining options for the three major components of a harvest strategy: 1) data collection, 2) data-limited assessment, and 3) management measures.

The FishPath Tool uses multiple-choice questions to determine unique characteristics of the fishery (Figure 1). Questions cover social, economic, operational, biological, ecological and governance characteristics, and which types of data are available. The FishPath Tool contains a database of about 50 options for each of the 3 sections (data collection, assessment, management measures). The answers to the questionnaire flag key assumptions, considerations, and cautions for each option contained in the FishPath Tool. This guidance is based on the fishery context and can be used to understand the appropriateness of each option for the fishery of interest. The Tool results section provides a guided process for narrowing down available options to a short list to be more formally considered for inclusion in a harvest strategy (Figure 1). Users can also learn about each option through details, resources and links within the Tool.

It is important to understand what the FishPath Tool does and does not do. First, the FishPath Tool is not quantitative – it does not input, upload, or analyze data. The FishPath Tool is not a simulation or stock assessment Tool. The FishPath Tool does aid in the process of identifying a short list of viable options, but it does not prescribe a single, preferred option for data collection, assessment, or management measures. Rather, it encourages critical evaluation of an identified subset of options. The FishPath Tool provides a transparent and efficient platform for users to build the foundation of a harvest strategy for data-limited fisheries. The FishPath Tool content undergoes continual updates to include the latest fisheries science and practitioner information. FishPath Tool users may submit content suggestions at support@fishpath.org.

Figure 1: The FishPath Tool at a glance.

Intended Audience and Use of the FishPath Tool

The FishPath Tool is intended to be used in two key settings. The first setting is with a trained FishPath Tool facilitator, and the second as an individual user. Each of these intended audience groups may have varying levels of fisheries science and management experience.

I. Tool Use in Facilitated Engagement Process or Workshop:

The FishPath Tool is designed to be navigated by a trained fisheries scientist who facilitates the use of the tool in a group setting with fishery stakeholders. These stakeholders can be multi- (e.g., scientists, managers, universities, fishing industry) or single- (e.g., agency scientists) stakeholder groups. The trained FishPath facilitator leads discussion around answering the FishPath Tool questionnaire and process of narrowing results. In this setting, the overall FishPath Process, led by the facilitator, bridges or lessens any potential gaps related to the technical terms and concepts presented in the tool, improving accessibility to stakeholders. In this setting, the audience members in the meeting are experts in the focal fishery (including fishermen) or familiar with fisheries science and management, but do not need to be career, quantitative fisheries science experts.

II. Tool Use as Individual User:

The FishPath Tool is also intended to be used by individuals or groups without the support of a trained FishPath facilitator (also referred to as “Desktop Users” or those who use the FishPath Tool on their own). These individuals have an intermediate to advanced working knowledge of fisheries science and management. To fully understand the tool and apply it correctly, it is recommended that these users read and thoroughly digest this FishPath Tool User Guide. Examples of individual users include:

• Fisheries scientists, researchers, or students, who are interested in identifying appropriate data-limited assessment options for a data-limited fishery;
• Fisheries scientists, managers, students, or other fisheries professionals who want to review and corroborate existing harvest strategy components against guidance provided by FishPath;
• Fisheries scientists, managers, students, or other fisheries professionals seeking reference material or a fisheries resource library related to data-limited fisheries management.

The purpose of this User Guide is to explain Tool functionality and provide guidance on how to use the FishPath Tool to select and review appropriate options for data collection, data-limited assessment, and management measures.