Setting maximum sustainable yield targets when yield of one species affects that of other species

The exploitation of interacting stocks requires management targets beyond and more complex than the usual single‐species versions. As the yield of one species can affect that of another, stocks can no longer be managed independently and the yield of one species must be weighed against that of other species.

But how should we prioritize and identify most appropriate targets? Do we prefer to maximize by focusing on total yield in biomass across species, or are other measures targeting maximization of profits or preserving high living qualities more relevant? And how do we ensure that targets remain not only relevant but also consistent with ecosystem, economic, and social dimensions of sustainability and that they will gain a wide acceptance with scientists, the fishing industry, managers, and other stakeholders? Here, we present results of a MYFISH workshop bringing together a total of 70 scientists, industry, managers, and NGO representatives.

The workshop was designed to identify variants of maximum sustainable yield (MSY) which account for the necessary trade‐offs and estimate the preferences of the workshop participants for each of these variants across five regional groups: the Baltic Sea, Mediterranean, North Sea, western European waters, and widely ranging pelagic stocks in European waters.

During a well‐prepared process designed in this workshop, the participants contributed with a broad variety of knowledge and perceptions, and in our view allowed an understanding of MSY in a much broader and consensual way than is normally granted