Setting up non-traditional monitoring protocols for shellfish resources: Application to an artisanal diving fishery in northern Patagonia

For many years, stocks of sedentary invertebrates were assessed and managed using a finfish-oriented framework. However, most of these sedentary stocks are small-scale, spatially structured and data poor, yielding inappropriate management approaches when finfish models are applied. This project aims to develop non-traditional monitoring protocols for artisanal diving fisheries that target scallops, which are extremely vulnerable and difficult to assess due to their patchy distribution. The research will provide information useful for spatially explicit management of the scallop fishery, and directly involve fishermen in data collection, encouraging local involvement in natural resource management. ($7,325)