Fisheries decision-makers’ perspectives on the use of historical data to inform assessment and management

The lack of historical perspectives has hindered effective fisheries management. Historical data can help address shifted baselines in fisheries, but the process of integrating historical data into fisheries decision-making has not been clear in part because the data needs of decision-makers have not been assessed. Using Mexico as a case study, we conducted interviews with fisheries decision-makers to identify the current use of historical data, data needs, and pathways for integrating historical data into fisheries decision-making. We found that some historical data are currently used for decision-making, with the earliest archival data in use deriving from the 1850s. However, we also found that additional historical data existed for many fisheries that were not used, with an average of almost 30 years of data gap between the oldest data that exist and the oldest data used. Fisheries decision-makers described a need for six different types of historical information: catch, socioeconomic, biological, ecological, spatial and technological. Together respondents describe nine interrelated pathways to integrate historical data into fisheries decision-making both within and outside of the management structure, and identify 43 specific fisheries management contexts in which historical data would benefit decision-making. This research uses experts’ knowledge to illustrate how historical data can be used to improve fisheries management beyond the theoretical pathways and highlights the need for collaborative research to identify, collect, and apply the best available information in fisheries decision-making. • Fisheries decision-makers in government and NGOs described the opportunities and barriers for the use of historical data. • There are pathways to integrate historical data within and outside the established governmental management structure. • Historical data can improve quantitative assessments and also to support community-based research and stakeholder collaboration. • The use of historical data can help to achieve sustainable fisheries and community engagement.