Since these small fish play such an important role in supporting entire ocean ecosystems, it’s equally important that managing their fisheries is done differently than traditional approaches that focus on one targeted population. Their unique life cycle and schooling behaviour make them vulnerable to overfishing, which means management measures must include requirements that prevent this. Knowing the total population size and identifying a maximum harvest threshold to keep the population healthy are two measures that can lead to more resilient populations. In the face of threats such as the climate crisis, we think considering these things when managing a fishery is essential (and, it’s just good science).