Paradigms in fisheries oceanography

Abstract

The development of the field of fisheries oceanography over the past century has been heavily influenced by a relatively small number of paradigms that have shaped thinking, influenced lines of enquiry and occasionally stalled progress in the field. This review provides an overview of what are considered to be the most influential paradigms in the discipline. Each begins with a brief discussion of its origins. Next their respective (and often overlapping) impact on the development of the discipline is discussed and then the evolution of these paradigms as shaped by new advances in approaches and technologies and by direct challenges to their underlying assumptions is reviewed. For each, the endpoint is an overview of the current state of knowledge and thinking and the probable future direction of research in the area. The review concludes with an overview of the probable future directions of research in the discipline as a whole.