The world’s oceans are overfished (Pauly et al. 2007). One of the responses to this from the fishing industry has been to try to fish more ‘scientifically’. However, as indicated in the first of the above quotes, the science of fisheries management is not without uncertainties, conflicts and contestations. The failure of conventional science to provide the basis for managing the world’s fisheries in a sustainable manner has sparked a countermovement towards an ecosystem approach to fisheries management (FAO). This approach aims at holistic management; it considers fisheries as components of complex social and ecological systems requiring a balancing of diverse and often conflicting goals (Paterson et al. 2007).

In this chapter we explore the meanings that scientists and fishermen share with regard to fish stocks. We show that while there are differences in approach, both groups share the same concerns, and ultimately their perspectives may well be complementary and contribute to preserving the threatened fisheries.

This chapter has been written by an interdisciplinary team of researchers based in South Africa and Namibia. All share an interest in fishing and fish stocks. Paterson is a German-trained modeller of knowledge-based systems who lives in Namibia and who conducted all the interviews. Jarre is a marine-systems ecologist who worked in Denmark before moving to Cape Town. Green and Norton are both anthropologists and are based in Cape Town.