Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nationsfor a world without hunger
Fisheries and Aquaculture Department
Tool selection criteria
Implementing EAF is possible for all types of fisheries, including subsistence and artisanal fisheries that usually have minimal data and formal management resources, up to large multinational industrial fisheries with significant data sets and resources. Suitable options have been identified to complete each EAF step to cover the range of resources and capacities that may be available.
It is always important to select the tools most effective for a situation, but for fisheries with few resources or technical capacity this is especially critical. Even when resources are not limiting, the most expensive or complex tool may not always be the best one. The tool factsheets include user tips that explain when a tool may or may not be so good to use.
To assist tool selection, a set of criteria have been developed to help potential users choose amongst the various possibilities. It is recognised that in addition to these criteria, a number of other technical and social factors can affect which tool may be most appropriate so the criteria presented are not meant to be prescriptive.
Criteria for tool selection
Overall difficulty of use: How easy or hard is the tool to use?
Cost: How expensive in terms of dollars, people and time is the tool to use?
Capacity needed: How complex is the tool and what formal technical capacity/training is needed to use it?
Formal knowledge/data required: What level of formal background knowledge, datasets or preparatory work must be available and completed to effectively use the tool?
Participation: What level of community participation is possible/required or encouraged when applying the tool?
Timeframe: How long would it take to apply the tool in a specific situation?