FishKit

On behalf of The Nature Conservancy, we continue to build and maintain Fisheries Toolkit, or FishKit. The toolkit allows users to input information about their fishery and is used to evaluate the decision-making tradeoffs in real time. Complex fisheries concepts are made accessible to users so that they can engage in fisheries science. The toolkit addresses:

  • Species life histories
  • Minimum size limits
  • Bag limits
  • Trends in fish stock dynamics
  • Facilitator resources
This toolkit arose from community engagement in Hawai’i, where the community’s desire to be more involved in the science and management process prompted our team to adapt. Rather that deliver a technical report, our team decided to use the power of R Shiny to bring the community into the process of conducting an analysis. We continue to develop FishKit, enabling stakeholders and decision-makers in most types of fisheries to directly engage in development of fishery management measures. 
 
This app demonstrates some of the more advanced capabilities of R Shiny data applications that Nature Analytics can provide to clients, such as persistent data storage for users, linking the app with other online data sources, and combining multiple functions into a cohesive user experience.

Launching the Toolkit

In addition to creating the toolkit, we also spearheaded the toolkit launch, alongside The Nature Conservancy. This involved user testing, consulting on branding and strategy, and the creation of communication materials to accompany the toolkit. We produced promotional videos, created educational presentations (example below), designed infographics (example to the right), and built the FishKit website.

by Peyton

Materials found on the FishKit website demonstrate the ways in which Nature Analytics can provide bespoke science communication products to support client projects.

by Peyton

Authors

WJ Harford, PA Moore, A Adao, E Ristig, K Millage, B Snouffer