Marine ecosystems compose the major source (85%) of world fisheries production (Garcia and Newton, 1997). Although only a few fish species tend to dominate fishery catches (Jennings et al., 2001), a large diversity of fishes
representing varied taxonomic levels, ecological guilds, and life histories is commonly taken. Recently, 66% of
global marine resources were determined to be either fully, heavily, or over-exploited (Botsford et al., 1997).
Considering the current state of many fisheries, the large diversity of species taken globally, and the general lack of resources to adequately assess many stocks, it has become important to develop shortcuts that may provide
methods fisheries scientists can use to determine which stocks are in danger of overexploitation and which recovery plans are appropriate when biological data are limited (Stobutzki et al., 2001)
