FishKit for Fisheries Management
Learn when and how to use FishKit as part of the broader process of fisheries management, along with guidance for leading FishKit engagements with community members.
See the Using the FishKit Toolkit section to learn how to use the tools in the FishKit app. See The Science Behind FishKit section to learn about the science behind the FishKit toolkit and key fisheries science topics.
The following steps provide a high-level overview of the adaptive process of building and implementing a fisheries management plan in response to the specific context and needs of the community. Although there are many versions of fisheries management planning steps and phases around the world, this overview reflects The Nature Conservancy’s experience in community-led project planning, involving collaboration between community members and representatives, partnering organizations, and supporting agencies. The steps necessary to complete a management plan are listed as a means to illuminate entry points for the use of FishKit during the fisheries management process.
Additional resources provide more information about community-led fisheries management and how different communities and organizations are approaching the process:
- The Mālama I Ke Kai Community Action Guide specifically targets communities across Hawai’i, but contains valuable information for communities beyond Hawai’i.
- This Four-Step Guide provides guidance on how to start community-based fisheries management initiatives.
- This Facilitator Guide to community-based fisheries management is specific to the Solomon Islands, but provides generalized steps for community-based fisheries management engagement that could be applied to other geographies.
Develop a shared understanding of the fishery and identify key challenges facing the fishery and community members, based on scientific and local knowledge. Ensure key stakeholders are engaged at the outset of the process and are empowered to express values and concerns and identify their collective vision. Action items to complete during this step may include:
- Identify important participants and develop shared group values
- Map the fishery and describe characteristics of the fishery (e.g., gear, seasonality)
- Identify priority species for management based on characteristics such as productivity, susceptibility, or economic or cultural importance
- Assess current fishery status with available data and knowledge
Relevance to FishKit tools:
The Stock Health Tracker can be used to gain insight into patterns of stock health and fishery status with length data collected from fisheries catches.
Use defined vision to create specific management goals and objectives. Goals establish the outcomes the community would like to achieve at a high level. Objectives should be specific, quantitative, and measurable versions of goals that will help the community to measure the achievement of its goals. Action items to complete during this step may include:
- Brainstorm fishery goals
- Develop management objectives
- Understand established governance processes for fisheries management
Relevance to FishKit tools:
Defining objectives and reference points is outside of the scope of FishKit.
Identify types of management options eligible for consideration that could potentially meet (either alone or in combination with other options) the management objectives. Action items to complete during this step may include:
- Identify and/or narrow the priority types of management options to explore
- Identify options for monitoring and assessment
Relevance to FishKit tools:
FishKit is generally aimed at communities that are considering management options such as size limits, bag limits, and temporary closures.
Evaluate the benefits, costs, and tradeoffs of different tactical management options, or combinations thereof, to see which ones would likely meet the management objectives. Action items to complete during this step may include:
- Develop tactical management options to explore
- Evaluate tradeoffs between management options relative to management objectives
- Narrow and/or select options to be incorporated into the management plan
- Develop a scientifically defensible monitoring and assessment program
Relevance to FishKit tools:
FishKit provides options and tradeoffs for tactical management options, which can support clear and transparent communication with stakeholders and decision makers. For example, FishKit’s Size Limit Builder and Bag Limit Builder can be used to evaluate different options for size limits and bag limits, and to select a size and/or bag limit(s) for inclusion in a management plan. Temporary Closures can be used to explore different options for short-term fishery closures.
Select preferred management options and draft a comprehensive management plan. Action items to complete during this step may include:
- Gather decisions, content, and supporting materials for the management plan
- Draft the management plan
- Allow time for the broader community to review and edit the plan
Relevance to FishKit tools:
The FishKit toolkit does not help with the full process of drafting or writing a management plan, but the outputs from the Size Limit Builder,Bag Limit Builder, or Temporary Closures can provide supporting scientific information for regulatory decisions.
Cultivate a broader understanding of the management plan through additional community engagement and communication in coordination with respective community leadership and resource agencies. Action items to complete during this step may include:
- Develop a strategic communication plan
- Host community meetings to share the management plan and rationale with the broader community
- Incorporate feedback into the proposed management plan
Relevance to FishKit tools:
FishKit directly supports community engagement in designing fisheries management actions. By allowing tactical management options to be reviewed and/or adjusted in real time, FishKit cultivates consensus and buy-in with stakeholders and decision makers.
Secure voluntary or legislative rules that support the community’s decisions. Action items to complete during this step may include:
- Prepare outreach and enforcement efforts for implementation
- Implement the monitoring and assessment program
Relevance to FishKit tools:
Following plan implementation, FishKit’s Stock Health Tracker can be used to help with
the continued monitoring and assessment of stock health.
Collect information to understand whether the management actions taken have succeeded in meeting the management objectives, and to support adaptive management and learning opportunities. Action items to complete during this step may include:
- Periodically review the management plan
- Highlight and capitalize on opportunities for improvement and refinement
- Share lessons learned during implementation (lessons about both successes and challenges)
Relevance to FishKit tools:
Following plan implementation, FishKit’s Stock Health Tracker can be used to help with
the continued monitoring and assessment of stock health. FishKit’s Size Limit Builder and Bag Limit Builder can be used to adjust an existing management measure if it has not produced the desired results.
FishKit tools are designed to be used primarily during community-based fisheries management processes, where communities lead fisheries management in partnership with – or with support from – agencies or other partners. FishKit tools can be used for tracking simple metrics of fishery resource health and supporting fisheries management decisions. The tools can also be utilized throughout an adaptive fisheries management process, where potential changes in community needs and available information over time can lead to continuous learning and fishing rule adjustment.
FishKit is particularly useful for data-limited, small-scale fisheries, as it employs data-limited approaches to provide insights into fishery stock health, as well as insights into the design of management measures, including size limits, bag limits and temporary closures. To date, it has been especially useful for coastal Pacific communities, where data are often limited and management options commonly include size limits or bag limits.
See the sections below for more information about when FishKit can be used during the fisheries management process.
FishKit for assessing stock health
FishKit’s Stock Health Tracker is designed to provide insights into patterns and trends of a fishery. The Stock Health Tracker uses information on fishery-dependent observations of length along with life history information to calculate quantities of simple metrics or indicators about the condition of the fishery, such as how many fish are above the size at which they reproduce. Indicator-driven insights can be useful at various stages of designing and implementing fisheries management tactics, including:
- At the outset of the management planning process
- After management plan implementation, during the plan monitoring and evaluation stage
- Any time when routine or periodic reporting is required
Indicator-driven insights can help to:
- Highlight temporal patterns and provide insight into the condition of the fishery
- Evaluate the sufficiency of existing regulatory practices
- Track progress towards achievement of management goals and objectives
FishKit for evaluating tactical management options
FishKit can be used to help design tactical management options for species of interest. If you have identified bag limits and/or size limits as priority management options, the Bag Limit Builder and Size Limit Builder can be used to explore the likely effects of different options on the fish population and its fishery. Likewise, Temporary Closures can be used to explore different options for short-term fishery closures. By comparing alternative management options, trade-offs are highlighted, as not all fishery management options will produce the same outcomes. Understanding trade-offs between conservation and fishery catches is central to designing successful fishery management actions.
For example, the Size Limit Builder allows you to contrast the effects of different size limits on fishery catches and longer-term sustainability. This comparison provides insights into which size limit option(s) are likely to meet fishery management goals and objectives.
Similarly, the Bag Limit Builder allows you to explore the effects of particular bag limits on short-term reductions to catch. This information can help guide decision-making where immediate reductions in fishing mortality are deemed necessary. For example, bag limits that exclude particularly large or egregious catches can address overfishing concerns.
- Using the Size Limit Builder
- Interpreting Size Limit Builder metrics
- Size Limit Builder: concepts and considerations
- Using the Bag Limit Builder
- Interpreting Bag Limit Builder results
- Bag Limit Builder: concepts and considerations
- Using the Temporary Closures module
- Interpreting Temporary Closure results
- Temporary Closures: concepts and considerations
FishKit for adjusting existing management measures
FishKit can be used to inform adjustments to existing management measures, promoting responsive or adaptive management. Monitoring stock health – using the Stock Health Tracker or other methods – or evaluating existing management measures (e.g., a size limit), may reveal whether management measures are leading towards the desired outcomes, or not. Accordingly, FishKit’s Size Limit Builder or Bag Limit Builder can be used to draft new options and contrast them with existing options. This comparison can highlight differences in expected outcomes between management measures, potentially leading to improved stakeholder engagement and buy-in.
See the previous When to Use FishKit sections, assessing stock health and evaluating tactical management options, for more information on the process of using FishKit to develop management measures. This information will provide guidance for adjusting or replacing existing management measures using FishKit.
FishKit in action
This section is for facilitators who are leading or supporting a fisheries management engagement that utilizes FishKit. Typically, facilitators are The Nature Conservancy staff, partners, or other individuals who have received training on the use of the FishKit app.
FishKit engagements may refer to a variety of different uses of FishKit, usually in an in-person setting. These include but are not limited to: training workshops on using FishKit tools, planning and implementation processes for a fisheries management plan, and meetings during the management process that utilize FishKit tools. Participants in engagements can include community members, resource management agencies, supporting organizations and partners, and other key stakeholders.
Given the variability in the type of engagement and who is involved, approaches to an engagement process will vary. However, FishKit is a valuable engagement tool in multiple contexts because it allows for real-time analyses and exploration of management options, helping to cultivate a shared understanding and buy-in between stakeholders and decision makers. The exact approach to using the FishKit toolkit should be catered to individual engagements.
Since each engagement is unique, this section aims to provide a high-level overview for planning, leading, and following up on engagements. The information should be further customized in light of the community’s context and needs.
Pre-engagement guidelines
FishKit engagement better practices
This section provides a high-level summary of better practices for approaching a community engagement. It provides basic guidelines that should be expanded and adapted based on community context.
Work to build a sense of shared values and understanding based on scientific and local knowledge and ensure local and traditional knowledge are represented throughout the engagement. Take the time to develop connections with and between stakeholders through introductions, group activities, and conversation. Learn about the fishery, including typical practices, norms, and challenges, and fish together if possible. Work to engage with communities in their preferred spaces. For example, meet at the beach as opposed to in a conference room if that is the community’s preference. And, make sure to thoroughly document the meeting(s) to capture nuances, ideas, and future directions.
Engagement follow-up
After a community engagement event, make sure to follow through on commitments and deliverables and ensure sufficient time is set aside by facilitators, scientists, and other knowledge holders to continue to support and respond to the community and key stakeholders. Elements of this phase of an engagement may vary based on the context of the engagement; however, this section provides a high-level overview of what post-engagement follow-up should look like.
Make sure you share copies of any reports you generated in FishKit and any supplementary materials or presentations you utilized during the engagement. Provide any promised additional materials or deliverables, or supporting materials for any decisions that were made. For example, if a size limit was selected, you could develop rulers or stickers for fishers to keep on their boats to measure their catch, if that was of interest to the community.