Methodologies and indicators for the estimation of the magnitude and impact of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing: 1.2 A practical guide to delivering an estimate
Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activity is a persistent and pervasive problem in many different types of fisheries around the world. Understanding the nature and magnitude of these activities is an important, but often daunting, step toward combatting them.
As part of a series of technical guidance documents on estimating IUU fishing activity, this practical guide to study design outlines a logical, step-by-step progression from planning to execution to presentation of results. At its core, it focuses on establishing a coherent alignment between study objectives, available data and appropriate methodologies to generate robust, data-driven estimates of IUU fishing activity.
Key concepts such as designing a conceptual model, triangulating alternative approaches, dealing with data gaps and biases, and accounting for uncertainty are explored. The importance of including explicit feedback loops for stakeholders and experts in each phase of the study are also discussed.