An ad hoc committee will undertake an analysis of the effects of the 2006 Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act (FCMRA) mandate to rebuild overfished stocks, including an evaluation of success in stock rebuilding, and the identification of changes made to fisheries management plans in order to establish rebuilding schedules. In addition, the study will:

1. Review the success of stock rebuilding plans both in the United States under the FCMRA and internationally. Take into account the criteria and methods used in setting rebuilding targets and the degree to which fishing mortality rate was reduced to implement the rebuilding plan.

2. Evaluate current methods for defining maximum sustainable yield (MSY)-based reference points, particularly target biomass levels for rebuilding of overfished stocks. Take into account the range of information quality available to analysts (e.g. “data rich” to “data poor” stocks and degree on contrast within the time series of data).

3. Evaluate current methods for determining the probability that a stock will rebuild by a certain date. Assess the effects of uncertainty in current stock status, population dynamics, and variability in recruitment survival.

4. Identify the potential for accounting for additional factors in estimates of carrying capacity, MSY-based reference points, rebuilding rates, and classification of a stock as rebuilt. Consider the effects of climate and environmental conditions, habitat loss and degradation, ecological effects of fishing on the food chain, and ecological interactions among multiple species being rebuilt.

5. Identify criteria and methods for adjustment of rebuilding targets and schedules based on interim information and updated stock assessments.

6. Assess the types of information needed and progress in understanding the economic and social impacts of rebuilding programs on fishing communities, including identifying the economic, social, and ecological tradeoffs of rebuilding a fishery on shorter (= 10 years) or longer timescales (= 11 years). Evaluate available methods for incorporating these social, economic and ecological factors when establishing optimal rebuilding schedules. Summarize how the social and economic impacts of rebuilding plans are affected by the structure of fisheries management measures in place, e.g., under traditional management measures, limited entry, and catch shares systems.

7. Identify any systemic knowledge gaps, including biological, ecological, social and economic, that impede the implementation of rebuilding programs, and determine the additional data collection and analyses needed to address those gaps.