The previous chapters described how one might assess ecosystems and their component biota relative to their status, processes, and pressures. The question then becomes, what does one do with that information? How does one utilize it to make decisions? We will address these issues in later chapters. For now we need to take a step back and ascertain just what is it that comprises a fishery and what some of the other factors are influencing the use, harvest, and management of LMRs. That is, how do we view fish stocks and their associated dynamics from a human-use perspective?

To do so, let us ask: What comprises a fishery?

FISHERIES DEFINED

We can define a fishery rather sterilely as the complex of people, their institutions, their harvest and their observations associated with and including a targeted stock or group of stocks (i.e. usually fish), and increasingly, the associated ecosystems that produce said stocks. Let us deconstruct this a bit further. Based on first principles, what are the key components of a fishery?

Fishers are arguably one of the most important parts of a fishery. They are as varied as the fish they catch, and use a variety of gear and vessels to prosecute a fishery. We note that there is a wide range of sectors, fleets, cooperatives, corporations, etc., that all contribute to the dynamics of how and why and when fishers fish. That is, there is a wide range of motives and incentives to fish.