REDUCING UNCERTAINTY IN THE BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF FISHERIES MANAGEMENT BY METAANALYSIS OF DATA FROM MANY POPULATIONS - A SYNTHESIS

The uncertainty of the biological basis of fisheries management can be greatly reduced by examining many data sets and combining the results by various statistical methods. A major cause of uncertainty in the p opulation biology of exploited species is the lack of very long time-s eries; this can be overcome by examining data on many populations (ove r 500 are examined here). We describe how meta-analysis can be used to address the fundamental problems of population biology and management , e.g. the relationship between spawner abundance and recruitment, the existence of depensation, the estimation of the limits of fishing. We conclude that meta-analysis, and related techniques, can considerably reduce the biological basis of uncertainty in fisheries management. ( C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.