Artisanal fisheries include a wide range of labor-intensive, low investment harvesting activities along the inland and marine coastal areas in the LDC's of the tropics. These fisheries generally rely on unsophisticated harvesting techniques. The development of artisanal fisheries must consider both the harvesting and marketing sectors. The general objectives of development are to improve the yield of food resources and to maximize the economic and social benefits of the fishery to the human population. The maximization of benefits requires development strategies which promote the efficient allocation of human and capital resources in order to produce the maximum sustained amount of fish protein for the greatest number of people. This paper reviews existing yield models which can be applied to tropical stock assessment surveys and discusses the assumptions, data requirements, strengths and weaknesses of each. Particular emphasis is placed on the Schaefer and Beverton-Holt models. A discussion is offered of published modifications in the Beverton-Holt model which permit the estimation of the necessary parameters from length-frequency measurements without information on the age composition of the catch and in those cases where independent estimates of growth and mortality may be difficult to obtain. Various techniques for estimating model parameters are mentioned, and cases in which these techniques have been tested are referenced.