摘要: |
Decision-makers require objective information in useful reporting formats to evaluate fishery management plans in relation to biological, economic, and social goals. Economic performance metrics are useful for assessing a fishery with respect to management objectives related to the economic performance of the fishery and vessels within that fishery. An initial standard set of metrics applicable across diverse catch share programs is outlined in Brinson and Thunberg (2013). Because some regions or fisheries may have unique data sets, management objectives, or concerns, the development of additional metrics may be helpful. Stakeholders utilize performance metrics in different ways, from directly addressing management needs to using them for research purposes. Adequately meeting all stakeholders’ needs is challenging with traditional written or oral reporting mechanisms, especially in the U.S. West Coast ground-fish trawl catch share program, which covers multiple species, sectors, gear types, and states. However, working to address stakeholders’ needs increases transparency and trust; increases engagement between managers and fishers, scientists, the public, and other key stakeholders; reduces the burden of providing tailored data requests; allows users to quickly answer policy and research questions; and makes research accessible to a broader audience. Web applications can support data-driven decision-making and comply with government mandates to publish information in searchable, open formats. In web applications, data can be summarized along many different criteria and shared while remaining compliant with any confidentiality restrictions on the data. Providing downloadable, thoughtfully aggregated data can increase trust and transparency. Tools and extensions have been developed that aid scientists in developing web applications. One tool, the Shiny package from RStudio, allows users familiar with R to develop web applications that seamlessly integrate R code for data processing and plotting into the web application. No knowledge of HTML, CSS, or JavaScript is required. Similar tools are available for other programming languages. This type of tool allows scientists to make their data and research more accessible, useful, and engaging. |