Quantify the costs of unfamiliar fisheries modelling approaches

Determine and make transparent the costs of implementing ecosystem models and single-species models for fisheries management, as the lack of known costs currently impedes choosing between these approaches in cost–benefit analyses.

Background

The paper argues that selecting an appropriate level of model complexity for fisheries management should be guided by cost–benefit analysis. However, a key barrier is that the costs of different modelling approaches are often not publicly available or well understood, especially for ecosystem models compared with single-species assessments.

The authors note that modelling costs are frequently embedded within confidential contracts and are therefore opaque to decision-makers. They provide relative cost ranges from two Australian organizations as a starting point, highlighting the need for broader, systematic cost disclosure to support evidence-based model selection.