Depletion-corrected average catch: a simple formula for estimating sustainable yields in data-poor situations

The depletion-corrected average catch (DCAC) formula is an extension of the potential-yield formula, and it provides useful estimates of sustainable yield for data-poor fisheries on long-lived species. Over an extended period (e.g. a decade or more), the catch is divided into a sustainable yield component and an unsustainable “windfall” component associated with a one-time reduction in stock biomass. The size of the windfall is expressed as being equivalent to a number of years of sustainable production, in the form of a “windfall ratio”. The DCAC is calculated as the sum of catches divided by the sum of the number of years in the catch series and this windfall ratio. Input information includes the sum of catches and associated number of years, the relative reduction in biomass during that period, the natural mortality rate (M, which should be ,0.2 year21), and the assumed ratio of FMSY to M. These input values are expected to be approximate, and based on the estimates of their imprecision, the uncertainty can be integrated by Monte Carlo exploration of DCAC values.