As more extensive observations of oceanic ecosystems become available, the population dynamics of individual food web components will be better informed, improved between component energy transfer efficiencies will be calculated, and the relationship of these to environmental variability will be resolved (Table 2). The flow on benefits of these improvements have the potential to provide a range of stakeholders with the capacity to better assess stock resilience to climate and regional fisheries, the ecological impacts of fishing, balances between development associated with fishing and environmental and conservation goals and tools for mitigating impacts of fishing on the environment (Table 2). A reduction in uncertainty in model output will ensure that management planning and decisions made on the basis of projections of shifts in tuna distributions resulting from the models (such as the allocation of resources) are appropriately guided.