Objectives and Problems of Managing Aquatic Living Resources

In the management of aquatic living resources a wide range of objectives has emerged, associated with maintenance of renewable resources at productive levels, socioeconomic goals, and national and international political interest. Conservation objectives are largely concerned with "rational use" concepts, while socioeconomic goals may be associated with economic efficiency, resource development, allocation of resources between user groups, etc.A number of problems confront managers of aquatic living resources. They include the rapidity of the changes occurring in fisheries, conflicting objectives, the fragmented and limited jurisdiction of management agencies, adequacy of scientific input into management decisions, difficulties of enforcement, and multiple use interest. Improved management of aquatic living resources will require decision-making machinery that is responsive to the dynamic character of modern fisheries, systems to resolve potential conflicts in human values, a commitment of governments, managers and scientists to assume the responsibilities delegated to them, including the promulgation and enforcement of appropriate regulations, and a recognition on the part of management that they cannot expect scientific unanimity or certainty regarding the status of fish stocks and the nature of the actions required to ensure their productivity. Although the responsibility to manage is clearly the mandate of the administrator, the scientific community has the responsibility to effectively communicate its findings to managers, to evolve methods of providing quick and reasonably cheap diagnoses of the status of stocks, and to contribute to the development of the theory and application of the total systems approach to management of renewable resources.