Best Available Science

Best available science is the legal and procedural standard that fisheries management decisions must rest on the most reliable current scientific information, not on absent or future data. In the United States it is National Standard 2 of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which binds council actions to the best scientific information available and routes advice through the Scientific and Statistical Committee. The standard does not require perfect data: data-poor stocks are still managed under it using length-based or catch-based methods. ICES advice and the precautionary approach apply the same principle, pairing the best estimate with explicit treatment of uncertainty.