Fishery management techniques: Practical aspects and limitations

This article investigates practical aspects and limitations of various fishery management techniques. Restrictions on catch and fishing effort (active regulations) are described, and the authors point out that catch restrictions are less robust scientifically than effort restrictions. Spatial — temporal restrictions, gear restrictions, and restrictions on the nature of the catch-which are passive with respect to fishing mortality-are reviewed and it is concluded that fishing mortality is theoretically unbounded when only passive methods of fisheries management are applied.