In March 1977, shortly after ICLARM commenced in Manila, its Program Advisory Committee formulated the guiding principles for the Resource Development and Management Program, which is one of the four program areas of ICLARM (the others are Aquaculture, Traditional Fisheries and Education and Training.) These emphasized research as the basis for managing tropical multispecies fisheries and were translated into a more detailed research program by D. Pauly during a 2-month consultancy at ICLARM in 1978 which laid the foundations for ICLARM's activities in fish stock assessment and management.