In PFMC planning, which activity uses scenarios to project future stock status?

• A. Stock assessment
• B. Forecasting
• C. Market analysis
• D. Administrative budgeting

Answer: (B)

The main idea is forward-looking planning using different possible futures to see how the stock might evolve. That approach is forecasting. In PFMC planning, forecasting uses scenarios to project future stock status by plugging in various assumptions about things like recruitment, growth, and fishing pressure. By running these scenarios, managers can compare outcomes such as future stock abundance and potential yields under different management options, helping them choose strategies that balance sustainability with catch goals.

Stock assessments, while essential, focus on estimating the current stock status and how it responds to exploitation based on available data; they don’t inherently center on projecting future stock status under multiple scenarios. Market analysis looks at demand and prices, and administrative budgeting deals with finances, neither of which centers on forecasting future stock trajectories.