Evaluating management options for high-density recruitment events in the Atlantic sea scallop fishery: A decision tree approach

ABSTRACT Objective A major challenge in managing wild-capture fisheries is their dependence on natural recruitment, which can be highly variable. The Atlantic sea scallop Placopecten magellanicus supports one of the most valuable fisheries in the United States, with annual exvessel values of US$360–600 million since 2010. Fishery managers utilize annual surveys to document recruitment events and rotational area management to protect juveniles from fishing pressure. Although these measures are effective, recent high-density recruitment events have prompted consideration of a broader set of management options. We propose developing decision trees to aid in the management of future high-density recruitment events. Methods To guide decision tree development, we asked resource managers, industry advisors, and researchers to rank their concerns associated with managing high-density recruitment events, evaluate the feasibility of proposed management measures, and rank the importance of management information in their decision-making process. Results Participants expressed high levels of trust in the results of annual population surveys used to delineate the abundance and distribution of the resource, but they were concerned about elevated fishing mortality due to poor fishing practices in high-density areas. Participant perceptions of the proposed management measures informed the development of two decision trees: (1) evaluating management options for new recruitment events and (2) evaluating management options for rotational areas that are currently closed. Conclusions The decision trees that we developed provide a structured framework to evaluate management considerations, with the aim of streamlining the management process for future high-density recruitment events in the Atlantic sea scallop fishery.