Optimal <i>F</i>_0.1 Criteria and Their Relationship to Maximum Sustainable Yield

Abstract

There is a unique size of entry into the fishable population that maximizes yield per recruit when an F 0.1 fishing criterion is applied to the simple theory of fishing developed by Beverton and Holt in 1957. I define such a pair of parameters (size of entry, F 0.1 value) to be the optimal F 0.1 criteria and show that they are characterized by the single quantity M/K. A quantitative relationship is established between maximum sustainable yield and the optimal F 0.1 criteria for a model population where recruitment is governed by a Ricker stock–recruitment function. This new theory is applied to three fish stocks: Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis), western Lake Erie walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum), and Bering Sea Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus).