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For existing programs that have been established to determine an 

 understanding of marine ecosystems, the following subjects should 

 be addressed: 



- What is the expected level of accuracy for the program? 



- What is the expected cost to achieve that level of accuracy? 



- What are the time requirements to develop useful results? 



- Are the cost and time implications justified? 



- What is the expected accuracy of assessments given adequate catch 

 and effort data (previous recommendation)? 



. . What is the expected cost to achieve that level of accuracy? 



. What are the time requirements to develop useful results? 



. How do these cost and time implications compare to programs 

 that seek to expand understanding of the marine ecosystems? 



- Under different management goals, what is the required level of 

 accuracy of assessments? Cost? Time needs for results? Utility? 



While stocks are restored (and while assessments can determine the 

 validity of existing survey and abundance methodologies), efforts 

 should be made to determine key indicators necessary to produce 

 information that can be used for increasing understanding of the 

 total marine ecosystem. 



Rather than designing holistic systems models, it may in fact be 

 far cheaper and more efficient to develop a series of program 

 priorities that seek to determine indicators that lead to decisions 

 that must be made. If in fact the utility of assessment information 

 is only incrementally greater as a result of complex model design, 

 if management decisions relating to yields remain somewhat general, 

 it becomes difficult to justify the development of such models. 



For development of key indicators, establishment of a cooperative 

 extension service with the domestic industry is suggested. The 

 expertise of fishermen in relation to stock location, yield, and 

 abundance is recognized by many managers as extensive. However, 

 such expertise has not traditionally been utilized by members of 

 the assessment community. Particularly with relation to key 

 indicators, issues that can later be developed into assumptions 

 relating to the total marine ecosystem should be investigated. 



Extension programs will provide data to the assessment community 

 that can then be incorporated into existing assessment theory; 



