One of the major components of managing fisheries is estimating the amount of fish that can be harvested while keeping the fish populations healthy. Fisheries managers need to learn as much as possible about individual fish stocks and the fishermen who target those fish, then propose ways to keep stocks healthy and abundant. That’s a lot of work considering the state has 39 major fish stocks.

To accurately determine the status of a fish stock, managers must determine:

To complete the analysis, managers must also know:

Age structure of the stock; Age at spawning; Average number of eggs each age fish     can produce; Ratio of males to females in a stock; Number of new fish entering the catchable     population; Rate at which fish die from natural     causes; Rate at which fish are harvested; Growth rate of the fish; Time and the place fish spawn; and Migratory habits and food habits for all     ages of fish in the stock.

Types and numbers of fishermen in a     fishery; Pounds of fish caught by each type of     gear; Fishing effort expended with each type of     gear; Age structure of the fish caught by each     group of fishermen; Ratio of males to females in the catch; Value of the fish to different groups of     fishermen; Preferred size of the catch for market;     and Time and place where the best catches     occur.