The health of marine ecosystems is traditionally assessed by measuring the mean trophic level (MTL) of fishery catches. These authors model catch MTL and actual ecosystem MTL, and show that the former is not a good measure of the latter. They then show that MTLs have actually been increasing in recent years, but that fisheries are still at risk of collapse because all trophic levels have been similarly affected.
- Trevor A. Branch
- Reg Watson
- Sean R. Tracey
