Data sources and

5.3.4 Data sources and

The financial, human and institutional resources required to undertake data sampling and complete

collection methods

enumeration can often be considerable. Clearly, The wide range of data required for fisheries man- the choice of performance indicator and the data agement is generated at all levels in the fisheries variables it needs, and the methods of collecting sector; thus sources include harvest, post-harvest, the data, are constrained by the availability of market, support industry, consumer and govern- these resources. Careful estimation of resource ment agency. Unfortunately the simple vertical needs at all stages can be undertaken and tested transmission of such data to fishery management during strategy development, but even during full authorities often ignores the needs of stakeholders implementation of a data collection programme in the management of their own roles. Feedback of there needs to be some flexibility. This should be available information that is of benefit to stake- built into the overall data collection programme, holders always encourages better participation in

97 the provision of data. The management of data full spectrum of general data needs, but it is also a

Gathering Data for Monitoring and Management

flows, as a key function of a cooperative manage- particularly useful method when seeking to gather ment framework between the fishery sector and perceptions and opinions. governance, forms a major consideration in the • Interviews: Face-to-face interviews are directed development of comanagement arrangements and and compiled by data recorders, often called fish- institutions.

ery enumerators. As with questionnaires, the de- There are always information flows between sign of the survey forms and the questions posed the various subsectors. The expected catch from a needs to take into account the likely availability fishery is used to plan private investment in fish- of the information and the capacity of the inter- ing vessels and plant, or bring them into operation. viewee to provide it. This is most often the best The prediction of landings is used to plan process- method for small-scale and artisanal fisheries ing and storage capacity. Quota allocation is used where limited literacy or inadequate communica- to plan marketing and sales. Consumer prefer- tion channels are available. This form of data col- ences are used to plan products (Young and Muir, lection through structured ‘interview’ is also the Chapter 3, this volume). For fisheries comanage- method most employed for sample surveys, where ment to succeed, a vital part of the role of fishery enumerators sample the required data variables authorities is to facilitate these exchanges, in addi- under a specific frequency or location schedule. tion to their more traditional requirements, for an Less structured approaches to interviews include understanding of the biological and economic the use of (1) focus groups, which represent a par- status of fisheries.

ticular issue, and (2) panel surveys, in which a ran- As part of the planning of a data collection pro- dom sample of respondents from a group is used as gramme it is valuable to identify the matrix of data

a representation of the whole group. types required against the likely primary source, • Direct observations: Obtaining data through di- plus the secondary sources, which can be used to rect observation in ways that do not require input validate the data. Logbooks from fishing vessels – from fishery participants is the most common way as primary sources of operations data – can be veri- of obtaining independently verifiable information. fied using records of landings and these in turn can Observers (at-sea, or at landing sites) record fishery

be verified through factory output information. operations and biological characteristics, whereas The methods of data collection are extremely inspectors are deployed to also collect information varied and depend on the nature of the variables. that may be immediately used for compliance con- Five different groups of methods can be employed, trol, such as quota management, the enforcement even within a single fishery:

of management measures such as closed areas, or • Registration: This is often the most direct for data verification and validation. Scientific re- means to obtain complete enumeration of the searchers independently observe the biological, means of production and is usually implemented population and environmental characteristics of a through some form of licensing arrangement re- fishery. This can often be supplemented by the use quired by law; it can apply to fishing vessels, facto- of key informants, whose specialized knowledge, ries, fishing gear, companies or individuals.

rank or skill enable direct observations beyond • Questionnaires: These are forms that have to the scope offered by the employees of the fishery

be completed and submitted by individuals. Care authority, for example academics, community must be taken in their design to require only data leaders and wardens, or cooperating fishers and that are relevant to the respondent. If such ques- companies. Lastly, technology may be employed tionnaires are routine, any supporting documenta- through in situ or remote sensing for data genera- tion – how to complete the form, etc. – might also tion, including the use of satellites and data buoys, include the results of previous questionnaires, or the operation of vessel monitoring systems thus providing feedback. The levels and types of (VMS). The opportunities for VMS are still in their questionnaire information may range across the early stages of development, but it is likely that

98 Chapter 5

increasing numbers of fishing vessels will be sub- With the growth of high-speed telephone lines, ject to these devices in the future. With integrated area networks and the Internet, maintenance of instrumentation it is believed possible to inde- data can be undertaken in a distributed manner pendently verify, along with the Captain and his rather than through the centralized processing of company, most variables deriving from fishing paper or mainframe computer systems. This can operations and from the environment, including ensure that data entry and documentation and climate and oceanography, along with precise primary data processing are undertaken as close as spatial and temporal data on the conduct of a fish- possible to the data source and by those responsi- ery and its location.

ble for its collection.

• Reporting: VMS can also offer a means to dir- So much of the primary data required for fish- ectly report details of catch and effort and hence eries management is considered as commercially substitute for paper reporting. However, most confidential that it is important to ensure that data fisheries rely on the regular submission of log- management systems protect it from corruption books, which is often a legal condition of licensing. and unauthorized access. Indeed, even within ‘offi- They often provide highly detailed information – a cial’ groupings, data that reveal the identities of complete enumeration of activities – that enable a catch, income or investment may not be necessary range of stock assessment methods, and can con- for their analysis, and therefore access to that level tribute to ecosystem research. At the post-harvest, of detail may be limited. Data control and security sale and trade levels, records kept for commercial features should always form a major consideration purposes can also be required. For example, it may for the human–computer interface, whether this is not be possible to estimate the mass of small pelag- related to the data entry procedure, data access or ics that are landed in bulk until scale readings from to the dissemination/publication of analyses. conveyor belts or pumping systems are taken; or, species composition from an artisanal fishery can- not be assessed until grouped at the market for

5.3.6 Planning and implementation

sale. On the financial scale, where required perfor- mance indicators include structural and economic Planning phase

assessments, regular reporting through fishery The information cycle described above also pro- statistical surveys, which may be voluntary or vides the basis for planning and implementation of compulsory, may often be required.

data collection strategies and programmes. Dur- Again, the development of an information matrix ing the planning phase it is essential to ensure that that identifies the data required with an appropri- fishery policies are supported by appropriate legal ate method for each fishery is a useful tool in devel- mechanisms, including the powers to obtain in- oping a strategy for a data collection programme.

formation. Institutional mechanisms are also needed, most often by establishing linkages through committees and working groups and the proce-