Effective management relies on fisheries scientists to collect and analyse accurate data.
The fisheries scientist is responsible for collecting and interpreting the data that managers need to make fundamental decisions, such as how many fish of a particular species can be caught, what the minimum size should be, and when and where they can be caught. To address these questions, information is needed about how fast the animal grows, how long it lives, and where and how often it reproduces. The fisheries scientist is also concerned with factors affecting the marine environment, and particularly with the effects of fishing on a variety of habitats and the species they harbour. Another important area of contemporary fisheries science is the effect of climate on fisheries. Perhaps one of the most important skills of the fisheries scientist is discerning which questions are the most pressing.