ABSTRACT
Fisheries management in the United States is designed to offer numerous opportunities for stakeholder participation throughout the management process, and venues for providing input are both formal and informal. However, stakeholder engagement is generally aimed at the policy-making stage, with input into the science of fisheries management often more limited to traditional science roles. Aside from recent experiences surrounding the development and implementation of Framework 50, fisheries science and management have been suffering a crisis of confidence for quite some time in New England. Concerns about stock assessments extend beyond the fishing industry. Environmental groups and external scientists have also at times criticized the data, methods, and institutions used in fisheries science. Many environmentalists feel that managers too often do not give scientific findings and uncertainties sufficient weight, and therefore make more risk-prone decisions that compromise ecological and economic outcomes. Most stakeholders have a vested interest in improving the fisheries science process.
