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Develop participatory stock management for the Egyptian Artisanal Red Sea fisheries Rehab Farouk Abdelfattah Soliman (23656393) PUREID: 659520224 Community engagement ecological knowledge data-limited methods management strategy evaluation Red Sea small-scale fisheries co-management uncertainty Reserach communication adaptive management fishers knowledge food security stock assessment governance simulation depletion participatory management management practices The Egyptian artisanal Red Sea fishery, despite its economic and cultural importance, is characterised by fragmented data, limited integration of stakeholder perspectives, and a disconnect between management strategies and on-the-ground realities. This PhD project addresses these challenges through a series of interconnected objectives aimed at strengthening assessment and management under data and capacity constraints. The first objective is to document and evaluate the ecological knowledge and management perceptions of Red Sea artisanal fishers to identify gaps and opportunities for co-management. The second objective is to assess the performance of data-limited stock assessment methods (DLMs) under varying life histories, depletion levels, and data quantity. The third objective is to test alternative management procedures using simulation-based Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) to determine the potential for rebuilding overexploited stocks under realistic implementation scenarios. To achieve these objectives, the study combines empirical and simulation-based approaches. Face-to-face interviews conducted at the main Red Sea ports captured fishers’ knowledge and perspectives on management effectiveness, revealing widespread perceptions of declining catches, dissatisfaction with seasonal closures, and significant economic vulnerability. These insights highlight the urgent need for participatory management and institutional support. The evaluation of multiple DLMs—including LBSPR, LIME, LBB, and CMSY++—demonstrates that no single approach performs universally well; instead, method selection should reflect species life history and data context. Using an MSE framework informed by both ecological and social data, the research projected future stock trajectories under alternative management strategies. The simulations indicate that current management is unlikely to ensure long-term sustainability, with Spawning Potential Ratio (SPR) values consistently below 0.4, while combined effort and length restrictions offer the greatest rebuilding potential. This work contributes a context-aware framework for managing data-limited fisheries, highlighting the value of integrating fishers’ knowledge, simulation-based evaluation, and adaptive policy design. Without urgent reforms, the risk of collapse and loss of local food security will persist. Thesis is embargoed until 31 December 2026. 2026-10-01T16:19:08Z Text Thesis 10.17034/32641983.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Develop_participatory_stock_management_for_the_Egyptian_Artisanal_Red_Sea_fisheries/32641983 All Rights Reserved Open Access after 2026-12-31