Harvest Strategy

A harvest strategy is the full pre-agreed framework that turns stock monitoring into catch decisions, combining a data and assessment method, defined reference points, and a harvest control rule. It states in advance how the catch or effort limit moves as estimated biomass and fishing mortality change, removing year-by-year discretion. Management strategy evaluation tests the whole package by simulation against uncertainty before it is adopted. Australia’s Commonwealth harvest strategy policy and RFMO management procedures for tuna are leading examples, targeting biomass at or above the level that delivers maximum sustainable yield.