Observed Patterns in Multispecies Fisheries

Abstract

Virtually all fisheries exploit more than one species of fish, but the range of species exploited and the ability and willingness of fishermen to swich attention from one species to another vary. The fisheries off northwest Africa are reviewed as an example of a multispecies, multifishery system. Examples are given of systems in other regions. The impact of having to deal with a multispecies, rather than a single-species situation, on the different stages of fishery management is discussed.