Fisheries Statistics--Boring Stuff Until You Need Them for Monitoring

Since wild marine organisms integrate environmental conditions, statistics on their catches can be used, with appropriate precautions, to estimate the state of the ocean or parts of it. Fishery statistics have unfortunately often been used to draw dubious conclusions about the state of the oceans. Factors affecting fishery statistics are discussed. Some advice is offered to those interested in using fishery statistics for monitoring purposes.