National Academies Press: OpenBook

Improving the Use of the "Best Scientific Information Available" Standard in Fisheries Management (2004)

Chapter: Appendix C Questionnaires Sent to Fishery Management Councils and Fisheries Science Centers

« Previous: Appendix B Participants at the Workshop on Defining Best Available Science for Fisheries Management
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C Questionnaires Sent to Fishery Management Councils and Fisheries Science Centers." National Research Council. 2004. Improving the Use of the "Best Scientific Information Available" Standard in Fisheries Management. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11045.
×
Page 75
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C Questionnaires Sent to Fishery Management Councils and Fisheries Science Centers." National Research Council. 2004. Improving the Use of the "Best Scientific Information Available" Standard in Fisheries Management. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11045.
×
Page 76
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C Questionnaires Sent to Fishery Management Councils and Fisheries Science Centers." National Research Council. 2004. Improving the Use of the "Best Scientific Information Available" Standard in Fisheries Management. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11045.
×
Page 77
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C Questionnaires Sent to Fishery Management Councils and Fisheries Science Centers." National Research Council. 2004. Improving the Use of the "Best Scientific Information Available" Standard in Fisheries Management. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11045.
×
Page 78

Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.

Appendix C Questionnaires Sent to Fishery Management Councils and Fisheries Science Centers FISHERY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL QUESTIONNAIRE If possible, please submit a flow chart for the application of scientific information to the development of your fishery management plans (FMPs). Questions How does the council interpret the phrase “best scientific information available” as used in National Standard 2? Are constituent observations, opinions, or recommendations considered in addressing Standard 2? When there are discrepancies in information from different sources (e.g., NOAA Fisheries, council staff, state fishery scientists, academics, industry representatives) who determines which information to use in preparing the FMPs? What criteria are used to rank or reject infor- mation? Who determines what information is contained in the Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation reports, what criteria are used to select the infor- mation included in those reports, and what quality control procedures are in place? 75

76 “BEST SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION AVAILABLE” STANDARD Please describe briefly the process by which the council (including the staff and committees) prepares FMPs and supporting documents (amendments, environmental impact statement, etc.)? How does the council ensure that Standard 2 is satisfied when preparing FMPs and supporting documents, and how does it determine what information to consider with respect to the folowing: • Stock assessments • Essential fish habitat • Nontarget species impacts • Socioeconomic assessments • Other What is the origin of the data used in these scientific reports? In other words, who collects the primary data and how is it collected? Have any data been excluded from consideration in the aforementioned scientific reports? If so, what was the basis for such exclusion? Have some data and/or information been ranked higher than others for scientific assessments? If so, please explain the basis for such ranking. If all data have been treated equally, please explain why. Are there steps in process where the scientific data and findings are submitted for peer review? If so, is there a procedure for responding to critiques? FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER QUESTIONNAIRE If possible, please submit a flow chart for the collection and analysis of data for the scientific assessments prepared for advising the fishery management councils. Questions How does the center interpret the phrase “best scientific information available” as used in National Standard 2?

APPENDIX C 77 Please describe briefly the process by which center prepares scientific reports for the Fishery Management Councils regarding the following: • Stock assessments • Essential fish habitat • Nontarget species impacts • Socioeconomic assessments • Other What is the origin of the data used in these scientific reports? In other words, who collects the primary data and how is it collected? Who in the process makes the decision on what types of data and methods of analyses to use? Are there specific criteria? Have any data been excluded from consideration in the aforementioned scientific reports? If so, what was the basis for such exclusion? Have some data and/or information been ranked higher than others for scientific assessments? If so, please explain the basis for such ranking. If all data have been treated equally, please explain why. Are there steps in process where the scientific data and findings are submitted for peer review? If so, is there a procedure for responding to critiques?

Next: Appendix D Regulations Supporting Fishery Management Plan Development and National Standard 2 of the Magnuson-Stevens Act »
Improving the Use of the "Best Scientific Information Available" Standard in Fisheries Management Get This Book
×
Buy Paperback | $42.00 Buy Ebook | $33.99
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

Under the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act (FCMA), managers are required to use the "best scientific information available" in the preparation of federal fishery management plans (National Standard 2 in the FCMA). However, the Act provides no further guidance as to how conformance to this standard should be determined. Because adherence to this standard has often been contentious, Congress has considered adding a definition for what constitutes "best scientific information available" in the reauthorization of the FCMA. This report examines both the current application and the controversy over the standard and concludes that a legislative definition would be too inflexible to accommodate regional differences and future advances in science and technology. Instead, the report recommends that NOAA Fisheries adopt procedural guidelines to ensure that the scientific information used in the development of fishery management plans is relevant and timely and is the product of processes characterized by inclusiveness, transparency and openness, timeliness, and peer review.

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!