Authors of SAFS chapters are required to provide evidence to support SAFS stock status classifications accorded to each stock. The species chapter template – Status of key Australian fish stocks reports 2016 – includes the following related guidance to authors:

• Stock structure explanation text – this text must clearly explain what is known about biological stock structure and explain why assessments of stock status (provided in ‘Table 1’ and ‘stock status’ text) are being presented at the biological stock, management unit or whole jurisdiction level.
• Stock Status text – This section should summarise the main pieces of evidence used to determine stock status. Where detailed documentation already exists (e.g. in jurisdictional status reports) only a brief rationale should be provided in this chapter, referring specifically to current biomass size (or biomass proxy) and adequacy of control over fishing pressure. In text references should direct the reader to original documentation where more detail can be found.
• Weight of Evidence approach – After using a weight of evidence approach to determine stock status, authors should draft the stock status text. This text should include enough evidence for both biomass (or biomass proxy) and fishing pressure to support the final stock status classification.
• Biomass evidence text – provide evidence that the size of the stock is above or below the ‘recruitment overfished’ limit reference point.
• Fishing pressure evidence text – provide evidence that fishing mortality is, or is not, adequately controlled within sustainable levels (such as FMSY).

The resultant species chapters are then subject to external peer review.