Recruitment models: diagnosis and prognosis

Probabilistic projections of future fishpopulation dynamics and the determination ofmany management reference points are bothdriven by fishery recruitment models. In turn,these projections and reference points largelygovern perceptions of the likely response of apopulation to fishery management action. Hence, recruitment modeling is a vitalcomponent of stock assessment as carried outfor the purposes of strategic fisheriesmanagement. This review presents a synopsis ofthe types of recruitment model that arecurrently utilised in stock assessments, thereasons that certain models are habituallyselected and the problems inherent in theiruse, and some of the key ongoing researchefforts that are attempting to improve thevalidity of recruitment models. The need forincreased multidisciplinary symbiosis in thedevelopment of recruitment models isemphasized.