Adap&ve

Fisheries Assessment and Management

Toolkit (AFAM) Overview
 Road map for this session
•  Presenta&on
–  Why AFAM?
–  What is AFAM?
–  AFAM walk-through with case study from Belize
•  Breakout Group Ac&vity
–  Se$ng Goals and Characterizing your fishery
 The challenge:
Assessing and managing data-limited fisheries in a huge range
of contexts
 The solu9on:



Adap&ve fisheries assessment and
management toolkit (AFAM)!
 The solu9on:
Adap&ve fisheries assessment and management toolkit
Two Components

Online / Offline Linked accompanying guidance

Dashboard document
 The solu9on:
Adap&ve fisheries assessment and management toolkit
Dashboard and guidance document can be found at:

hQps://sfg-ucsb.shinyapps.io/afam-dashboard/



And here is a link for instruc&ons for downloading and installing the dashboard for
offline use:

hQps://sfg-ucsb.github.io/afamGuidanceDocument/Step5.html#installling-the-
dashboard-from-the-internet
What is adap&ve management?

Assess problem

Adjust Design

Evaluate Implement

Monitor

Adapted from Department of Interior Adap&ve Management Technical Guide

hQp://forestpolicypub.com/2010/02/26/lessons-from-the-northwest-about-commitment-to-adap&ve-
management/
 Why is adap&ve management
important for data-limited fisheries?

•  To maximize benefits of fisheries, must have

good fisheries management

•  How can you manage if you don’t know how

many fish there are, or how hard they are being
fished?

•  …Like trying to budget for a new car without

knowing how much money is in the bank

 Why is adap&ve management important
for data-limited fisheries?

•  Fisheries are dynamic systems

•  Available data is oaen incomplete, uncertain,
and accompanied by biases

•  Full sta&s&cal stock assessments are usually

not possible
 Key features of this framework
•  Process of designing the framework is
collabora&ve and stakeholder-driven

•  Local stakeholder knowledge is incorporated

during data interpreta&on

•  Flexibility to use mul&ple performance
indicators appropriate for species, available
data, and technical capacity for data analysis

 AFAM 101
Audience:
–  On-site staff (e.g., fisheries technicians or scien&sts for local NGOs,
governments, etc.)
–  Regional support staff who may support several sites

Skills
–  General fisheries knowledge (ecology, management op&ons,
popula&on dynamics, local policy)
–  Familiarity with the fisheries management basics
–  Familiarity with data analysis and visualiza&on
–  Facilita&on skills to coordinate and run mul&-stakeholder discussions
–  Communica&on skills to communicate the benefits and tradeoffs of
different fisheries assessment and management op&ons to a variety of
stakeholders

 AFAM 101
Inputs
•  Minimum:
•  Qualita&ve characteriza&on of the fishery
•  Key target species for management
•  Priori&zed goals for management
•  Recommended:
•  Landings, effort, and CPUE
•  Fishery-dependent length composi&on
•  Underwater visual survey data

Outputs
•  Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan
 hQp://www.thousandwonders.net/

Walking through the AFAM toolkit with an example from Belize

 AFAM Toolkit 8-step process

1. Determine
assessment and
management &er

8. Complete Adap&ve
Fishery Management 2. Determine fisheries
management controls
Plan (FMP)

7. Adapt fisheries 3. Select performance

management controls
using assessment Adap&ve cycle indicators, reference
points, and assessment
results methods

6. Interpret 4. Select harvest

assessment results control rules

5. Perform assessment
methods
1. Determine assessment and
management &er
Before star;ng, check out the
2. Determine fisheries management controls
“AFAM Toolkit Worksheet”

3. Select performance indicators, reference points,

and assessment methods

4. Select harvest control rules

5. Perform assessment methods

6. Interpret assessment results

7. Adapt fisheries management controls using

assessment results

8. Complete Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan

(FMP)
1. Determine assessment and
management &er Tier 1: Precau&onary Assessment
and Management
2. Determine fisheries management controls
No data or Less than one year of
3. Select performance indicators, reference points,
and assessment methods
data

•  Few assessment op&ons

4. Select harvest control rules
•  Rely on local knowledge

5. Perform assessment methods •  Management Op&ons

•  Prohibit use of destruc&ve fishing prac&ce,
dynamite, chemicals
6. Interpret assessment results
•  Prohibit use of fishing with small mesh size
•  Prohibit fishing on seasonal spawning
7. Adapt fisheries management controls using aggrega&ons
assessment results

8. Complete Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan

(FMP)
1. Determine assessment and
management &er Tier 2 & 3: Preliminary and Mul&-
indicator Assessment and
2. Determine fisheries management controls Management

3. Select performance indicators, reference points,
and assessment methods
One or more years of data
•  Several assessment op&ons
4. Select harvest control rules
•  Use catch, effort, length, underwater visual
survey data

5. Perform assessment methods
•  Management Op&ons
•  Prohibit use of destruc&ve fishing prac&ce,
dynamite, chemicals
6. Interpret assessment results
•  Prohibit use of fishing with small mesh size
•  Prohibit fishing on seasonal spawning
7. Adapt fisheries management controls using aggrega&ons
assessment results
•  Size limits
•  Effort restric&ons
8. Complete Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan
(FMP) •  Total allowable catch
1. Determine assessment and
management &er

2. Determine fisheries management controls

3. Select performance indicators, reference points,

and assessment methods
Conch Lobster
4. Select harvest control rules
Available Data Available Data

Underwater Visual Underwater Visual

5. Perform assessment methods Survey Survey
Length Composi&on Length Composi&on
6. Interpret assessment results Survey Survey
Catch Repor&ng Catch Repor&ng
7. Adapt fisheries management controls using
System (Catch and System (Catch and
assessment results effort) effort)

8. Complete Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan

Tier 3
(FMP)
1. Determine assessment and
management &er
What are fisheries
2. Determine fisheries management controls
management controls…

3. Select performance indicators, reference points, Direct Controls:
and assessment methods
–  How much: Catch limits
4. Select harvest control rules

Indirect Controls
5. Perform assessment methods
–  Who: Licenses
–  Where: Spa&al closures
6. Interpret assessment results –  When: Seasonal closures
–  How: Effort Controls; Gear
7. Adapt fisheries management controls using Restric&ons
assessment results
–  What: Size and sex-specific
8. Complete Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan
regula&ons
(FMP)

1. Determine assessment and
management &er
Considera;ons…
2. Determine fisheries management controls
•  Goals
•  Species of interest
3. Select performance indicators, reference points,
and assessment methods

•  Exis&ng informa&on &

4. Select harvest control rules
capacity for data
collec&on
5. Perform assessment methods
•  Costs of implementa&on
•  Gear switches can be
6. Interpret assessment results
expensive
7. Adapt fisheries management controls using
•  Ease of enforcement and
assessment results
adop&on
8. Complete Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan
(FMP)
1. Determine assessment and
management &er

2. Determine fisheries management controls

Before making any changes…

3. Select performance indicators, reference points,
and assessment methods Assess current FMCs if they exist
(qualitaBvely and quanBtaBvely)
4. Select harvest control rules

5. Perform assessment methods

6. Interpret assessment results

7. Adapt fisheries management controls using

assessment results

8. Complete Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan

(FMP)
1. Determine assessment and If no FMCs currently exist, or
management &er
changes are necessary…
2. Determine fisheries management controls Guided decision-tree
3. Can gravid or egg bearing
1. Are destructive fishing 2. Are spawning aggregations
females be visually identified?
practices occurring ? targeted by fishers ?
Are they being landed?

3. Select performance indicators, reference points, Prohibit the use of any destructive
fishing gear (use of dynamite,
Consider a spatial seasonal
closure to protect the
Is discard
mortality of the

and assessment methods

chemicals, and/or fine mesh nets) spawning aggregation species high?

Consider a Consider a
5. Does fecundity increase with
4. Is more than about 10% sex seasonal
size and are larger individuals
of the catch juveniles? restriction closure
selectively harvested?

6. Is a time series of
Consider a Consider a catch and effort data
minimum size maximum size available?
restriction restriction

4. Select harvest control rules Is discard

Consider implementing a harvest
control method that would be
Consider setting an
appropriate catch limit
mortality of the effective at reducing or maintaining for a certain time period
species high? effort (temporal limit, deployment based on management
limit, and/or gear restrictions) control rules.

Consider allocating the catch Are fishers in the

Is high
Consider adding gear into individual bag or trip TURF likely to
grading likely
restrictions limits and/or implementing compete with each
to occur?
deployment limits. other?

5. Perform assessment methods

Tables and case studies

6. Interpret assessment results

7. Adapt fisheries management controls using

assessment results

8. Complete Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan

(FMP)
1. Determine assessment and
management &er

2. Determine fisheries management controls Controls on conch and lobster:

3. Select performance indicators, reference points,
and assessment methods
•  Total Allowable Catch
•  Minimum size limit
4. Select harvest control rules
•  Closed season
•  Gear restric&ons
5. Perform assessment methods

6. Interpret assessment results

7. Adapt fisheries management controls using

assessment results

8. Complete Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan

(FMP)
1. Determine assessment and
management &er
Performance indicators provide
informa;on about the current
2. Determine fisheries management controls performance of the stock - they
indicate how things are going
3. Select performance indicators, reference points,
and assessment methods

A target reference point is a
4. Select harvest control rules
numerical value that indicates
that the performance of a stock is
at a desirable level
5. Perform assessment methods
A limit reference point is
6. Interpret assessment results numerical value that indicates
that the status of a stock is
7. Adapt fisheries management controls using
unacceptable (e.g. highly
assessment results overfished)

8. Complete Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan
(FMP)
1. Determine assessment and
management &er
Performance indicators provide
2. Determine fisheries management controls
clues about how the fishery is
doing
3. Select performance indicators, reference points,

and assessment methods
Reference points indicate what
those clues mean
4. Select harvest control rules


5. Perform assessment methods

6. Interpret assessment results


7. Adapt fisheries management controls using
assessment results
Knowing the status of the
fishery or fishing pressure can
8. Complete Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan inform management
(FMP)


1. Determine assessment and Example performance indicators
management &er
and reference points…
2. Determine fisheries management controls
Performance
Reference Point Data Required
Indicator
3. Select performance indicators, reference points, CPUE is stable or Catch repor&ng
and assessment methods CPUE
increasing system
Catch repor&ng
Total Catch Total catch is stable
4. Select harvest control rules system
Average length is
Length composi&on
Average Length greater than length
survey
5. Perform assessment methods at maturity
Fishing mortality is
Length composi&on
Fishing Mortality equal to natural
survey
6. Interpret assessment results mortality

Spawning poten&al
Spawning Poten&al Length composi&on
7. Adapt fisheries management controls using ra&o is greater than
assessment results
Ra&o survey
40%

Ra&o of fish density Underwater visual

8. Complete Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan Density ra&o is 40%
(FMP) inside/outside NTZ survey
1. Determine assessment and
management &er
•  No single clue is perfect!
2. Determine fisheries management controls
–  Each has different inputs
3. Select performance indicators, reference points,
and outputs
and assessment methods
–  Each has strengths and
4. Select harvest control rules weaknesses
–  Use mul&ple clues, from
5. Perform assessment methods
mul&ple data sources,
when possible
6. Interpret assessment results

7. Adapt fisheries management controls using

assessment results

8. Complete Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan

(FMP)
1. Determine assessment and
management &er
•  No single clue is perfect!
2. Determine fisheries management controls

3. Select performance indicators, reference points,
and assessment methods

4. Select harvest control rules

5. Perform assessment methods

6. Interpret assessment results

7. Adapt fisheries management controls using

assessment results

8. Complete Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan

(FMP)
1. Determine assessment and
management &er

2. Determine fisheries management controls

Tables with guidance on how to select
3. Select performance indicators, reference points,
these
and assessment methods

4. Select harvest control rules

5. Perform assessment methods

6. Interpret assessment results

7. Adapt fisheries management controls using

assessment results

8. Complete Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan

(FMP)
1. Determine assessment and
management &er
Conch
2. Determine fisheries management controls Performance Indicator Reference Point
Target - Average over last 10
3. Select performance indicators, reference points, Density years
and assessment methods
Limit – 88 individuals/Ha

Total catch Average over last 10 years

4. Select harvest control rules
Average shell length Average over last 10 years

CPUE Average over last 10 years

5. Perform assessment methods

6. Interpret assessment results

Lobster
Performance Indicator Reference Point

7. Adapt fisheries management controls using CPUE Average over last 10 years
assessment results
Total catch Average over last 10 years

8. Complete Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan

(FMP) Average tail weight Average over last 10 years
1. Determine assessment and
management &er

2. Determine fisheries management controls

How are assessment
3. Select performance indicators, reference points,
and assessment methods
results used to adapt
fisheries management
4. Select harvest control rules

controls?
5. Perform assessment methods

6. Interpret assessment results
Harvest control rules!
7. Adapt fisheries management controls using
assessment results

8. Complete Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan

(FMP)
1. Determine assessment and
management &er A harvest control rule
2. Determine fisheries management controls translates the
3. Select performance indicators, reference points,
interpreta;on of
and assessment methods
assessment results into
4. Select harvest control rules adjustments in
5. Perform assessment methods
fisheries management
controls
6. Interpret assessment results

7. Adapt fisheries management controls using
It’s important to agree on these
assessment results
before performing assessments
8. Complete Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan
(FMP)
1. Determine assessment and
management &er Harvest control rules for a
single-indicator framework
2. Determine fisheries management controls
Harvest Control
Scenario Interpreta;on
Rule
3. Select performance indicators, reference points, Management
and assessment methods
controls may
Above target Things are in
become less
reference point great shape
4. Select harvest control rules restric&ve (i.e.,
raise TAC)
No change in
At target Things are where
5. Perform assessment methods management
reference point they should be
controls
Management
6. Interpret assessment results Between limit controls should
Things are in
and target be further
rough shape
reference point restricted (i.e.,
7. Adapt fisheries management controls using lower TAC)
assessment results

At or below limit Stock is in danger

Close the fishery
8. Complete Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan reference point of collapse
(FMP)
1. Determine assessment and
management &er

2. Determine fisheries management controls

Tables with guidance on how to define

3. Select performance indicators, reference points, harvest control rules
and assessment methods

4. Select harvest control rules

5. Perform assessment methods

6. Interpret assessment results

7. Adapt fisheries management controls using

assessment results

8. Complete Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan

(FMP)
1. Determine assessment and
management &er

2. Determine fisheries management controls In Belize…

3. Select performance indicators, reference points,
and assessment methods
Harvest control rules for a
mul;-indicator framework for
4. Select harvest control rules both conch and lobster

5. Perform assessment methods
Harvest control rules were
made for all foreseeable
6. Interpret assessment results
scenarios (combina;ons of
performance indicators and
7. Adapt fisheries management controls using
reference points)
assessment results

8. Complete Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan
Harvest control rules integrated
(FMP) into fishery management plans
1. Determine assessment and
management &er Online/offline dashboard
2. Determine fisheries management controls

3. Select performance indicators, reference points,

and assessment methods

4. Select harvest control rules

5. Perform assessment methods

6. Interpret assessment results

•  Accompanying guidance document
provides background on each method
7. Adapt fisheries management controls using (defini&ons, references, etc.)
assessment results

•  Dashboard includes data input,

8. Complete Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan visualiza&on, and analysis
(FMP)
1. Determine assessment and Modules for
management &er
•  Length data
2. Determine fisheries management controls • Fishing mortality from Mean length
(LBAR)
3. Select performance indicators, reference points, • Fishing mortality from Catch curve
and assessment methods
•  Spawning poten&al ra&o
•  Froese sustainability indicators
4. Select harvest control rules
•  Catch and effort data
•  Trends in catch
5. Perform assessment methods •  Trends in CPUE
•  Underwater visual survey data
6. Interpret assessment results
•  Fished:unfished biomass ra&o (coral
reef ecosystem indicator)
7. Adapt fisheries management controls using
•  Fished:unfished density ra&o (target
assessment results
species indicator)
8. Complete Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan
(FMP)
1. Determine assessment and
management &er

2. Determine fisheries management controls

3. Select performance indicators, reference points,

and assessment methods

4. Select harvest control rules

5. Perform assessment methods

6. Interpret assessment results

Interpret and verify results;

7. Adapt fisheries management controls using
assessment results draw on the knowledge of scien;sts,
fishers, government agencies, and others

8. Complete Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan
(FMP)
1. Determine assessment and
management &er

2. Determine fisheries management controls

Adapt using pre-
3. Select performance indicators, reference points,
and assessment methods
defined harvest control
rule

4. Select harvest control rules

5. Perform assessment methods

(A harvest control rule translates
the interpretaBon of assessment
6. Interpret assessment results
results into adjustments in fisheries
management controls)
7. Adapt fisheries management controls using
assessment results

8. Complete Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan

(FMP)
1. Determine assessment and
management &er
AutomaBc summary reports in
dashboard
2. Determine fisheries management controls

3. Select performance indicators, reference points,

and assessment methods

4. Select harvest control rules

5. Perform assessment methods

Fishery Management Plan
6. Interpret assessment results
template

7. Adapt fisheries management controls using

assessment results

8. Complete Adap&ve Fishery Management Plan

(FMP)

What makes this an “adapBve” framework?
Repeat Steps 1-8 on a periodic basis
1. Determine
assessment and
management &er

8. Complete Adap&ve
Fishery Management 2. Determine fisheries
management controls
Plan (FMP)

7. Adapt fisheries Adap&ve cycle 3. Select performance

management controls indicators, reference
using assessment points, and assessment
results methods

6. Interpret 4. Select harvest

assessment results control rules

5. Perform assessment
methods
 What is the “Adap&ve Fisheries Assessment
and Management Toolkit”?
•  Guidance document that outlines step-by-step
process and provides explicit guidance for
using data to make decisions at each step

•  User-friendly online/offline dashboard that

guide user through using data to perform
assessments
Thank you!