A decision tree to guide precautionary and adaptive tiering in marine nursery identification and management

Many marine species depend on nurseries during early life stages to promote growth and increase survival to maturity, supporting stock replenishment and stability. Since the nursery was first formally defined 25 years ago as a habitat that yields a greater-than-average contribution of juvenile recruits to an adult population, researchers have repeatedly revisited the concept and debated the best nursery identification approach to balance both ecological complexity and management practicality. Th