Exploring balanced harvest as a potential strategy for highly exploited multispecies fisheries

Abstract Balanced harvest (BH) proposes moderate fishing mortality rates across all species or sizes in proportion to productivity, serving as a possible strategy for ecosystem-based fisheries management. Fishing patterns some developing countries (e.g. China, the largest producer of seafood) closely resemble BH, where catches have been highly diversified by unselective gears due market demand almost species. In this study, we employed an OSMOSE ecosystem model developed Yellow Sea China investigate potential occurrences and advantages BH region with exploited multispecies fisheries. Simulations were carried out under four types scenarios, various levels specific functional groups implemented. Results indicated that depended on pressure targeted groups, size-level was significantly correlated biomass yield most particular, varying certain resulted which produced high ensured their sustainability. We concluded benefits could be potentially achieved adjusting based existing pattern over-exploited ecosystems.