Exploring Links between Systematics and Fisheries Management

—We argue that the sustainable management of fisheries resources depends on an understanding of the taxonomy and systematics of fish. Toward this end, it is necessary for fisheries managers to understand and apply the various species concepts that have been developed by taxonomists and evolutionary biologists and to decide, based on a philosophical position, what is necessary and sufficient for a taxon to be recognized as a distinct species. If species are viewed as ontological individuals and as such exist in nature, then it makes sense for managers to develop strategies to sustain and manipulate given populations to achieve management goals. In this series of papers, the authors explore species concepts with respect to fish and demonstrate the value of understanding species concepts, systematics, and taxonomy in addressing modern fisheries management problems. ‘‘What’s the use of their having names,’’ the Gnat said, ‘‘if they won’t answer to them?’’ ‘‘No use to them,’’ said Alice, ‘‘but it’s useful to the people that name them, I suppose. If not, why do things have names at all?’’ Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass Biological diversity, defined as the variability (within species) and variation (among species) of organisms as related to their ecology and habitats (Soule and Wilcox 1980; Norse et al. 1986) is being reduced at an alarming rate. Fish throughout the world are threatened by overfishing, the introduction of exotic species, habitat destruction, and anthropogenically induced environmental stresses. The management of fisheries resources was defined by Rounsefell and Everhart (1953:ix) as the application of scientific knowledge concerning fish populations to the problems of obtaining the maximum production of fishery products, whether stated in tons of factory material or in hours of angling pleasure. Revisions of this definition have included the concept of sustainability (e.g., Ross 1997), but the concept of maximizing benefits to humans has persisted. In North America, the responsibility for the effective management and conservation of fisheries resources is held by federal, provincial, and state agencies. We believe that without proper species identification, effective management of these important resources is not possible. Determination of the specific status of local taxonomic units is critical for the development of programs that conserve fish for purposes of food, aquaculture, tourism, disease control, and scientific investigations. Recognition of this fundamental link between systematics, taxonomy, and fisheries management—the provision of names for organisms and determination of the phylogenetic (evolutionary history) relationships among them by systematists and taxonomists—began to fade in the early 20th century because fisheries managers believed that most species had already been described (Fischer 1989). The rapid speciation of fish, however, especially in the tropics, has resulted in a paucity of characters for discriminating among species as well as in additional species to manage. Many species are diagnosed by means of molecular genetic characters or internal anatomical differences; thus, rapid field identification is difficult. The discovery of external characters that can be used to delimit species is critical for determining life history, behavior, distribution, and reproductive biology—all of which are needed to devise effective management strategies. Thus, despite perceptions that the majority of fish species have already been described (and perhaps they have in certain areas, e.g., North America), the need for systematics and taxonomy in support of fisheries management, whether in freshwater or marine systems, persists (Collette and Vecchione