Empirical and Theoretical Aspects of Fisheries Yield Models for Large Marine Ecosystems

Fisheries yield models are based on a number of (usually unstated) assumptions. These include stationarity of fluctuations and an independence of history, one-way linkages between the stock and ecosystem (the ecosystem affects the stock, but not vice versa), and genetic homogeneity. I reviewed empirical evidence concerning these assumptions and concluded that there is little support for them. New kinds of models are needed to deal with yield in large marine ecosystems.