The aim of this paper is to help define, from a social science perspective, the nature of those issues facing us. First and foremost, the ultimate test of any research and development program for small-scale tropical fisheries is the extent to which it improves the well-being of small-scale fisherman and increases fish consumption among the malnourished segments of the population. It follows, therefore, that stock assessment involves a number of social, cultural and economic considerations as well as the conventional biological and ecological. The remainder of the paper is divided into two major sections. The first section presents an economist's perspective on the issues before us, followed by a section on social and cultural aspects of stock assessment issues.