1. This article examines the stock assessment of five small pelagic fish species in artisanal fisheries in Senegal.
2. The results show that stocks of M. cephalus and S. pilchardus are collapsing, while S. colias and T. trecae are in good condition.
3. The authors suggest that length-based biomass models can provide indicators of stock status to drive management steps, especially in data-poor countries.
This article provides a comprehensive overview of the stock assessment of five small pelagic fish species in artisanal fisheries in Senegal, based on historical data from 2004 to 2019. The authors use a Length-Based Bayesian (LBB) biomass estimate model to assess the status of the stocks, and their results show that stocks of M. cephalus and S. pilchardus are collapsing, while S. colias and T. trecae are in good condition. They suggest that length-based biomass models can provide indicators of stock status to drive management steps, especially in data-poor countries.
The article is generally reliable and trustworthy as it is based on scientific research with valid methods and data sources, as well as peer review by experts in the field before publication in an open access journal (PLOS ONE). Furthermore, the authors have declared no competing interests which adds to its trustworthiness and reliability as a source of information on this topic.
However, there are some potential biases present in the article which should be noted when considering its trustworthiness and reliability as a source of information on this topic:
1) The authors do not explore any counterarguments or alternative perspectives on their findings;
2) There is no discussion or acknowledgement of potential risks associated with their proposed management strategies;
3) The article does not present both sides equally - it focuses solely on supporting their own findings without exploring any opposing views;
4) There is some promotional content present - for example, they emphasize the importance of their own research without providing evidence for why it is more important than other studies conducted on this topic;
5) There is also some partiality present - for example, they focus only on artisanal fisheries in Senegal without exploring other fisheries or regions where similar issues may be occurring;
6) Finally, there may be some missing points of consideration - for example, they do not discuss how climate change may be impacting these stocks or how their findings could be applied more broadly beyond Senegal's artisanal fisheries sector.