Ocean harvests have plateaued worldwide and many important commercial stocks have been depleted. This has caused great concern among scientists, fishery managers, the fishing community, and the public. This book evaluates the major models used for estimating the size and structure of marine fish populations (stock assessments) and changes in populations over time. It demonstrates how problems that may occur in fisheries dataâ€"for example underreporting or changes in the likelihood that fish can be caught with a given type of gearâ€"can seriously degrade the quality of stock assessments. The volume makes recommendations for means to improve stock assessments and their use in fishery management.

This report contains summary information on menhaden and coastal herrings made available during a stock assessment workshop held in 1984. Separate sections are included for Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico menhaden. The coastal herrings section describes information available on several species of engraulids, clupeids, and carangids. Each section includes description of the fishery, stock structure, stock status, effect of current management practices, and recommendations.