Can multispecies models be expected to provide better assessments for Celtic sea groundfish stocks?

In the minds of many people, better stock assessment will require more complex models such as multispecies, multiarea and perhaps multifleet models. But is this always true? By considering a case-study based on Celtic Sea groundfish stocks, we review the biological processes and interactions and determine whether data and understanding of these processes is adequate for successful incorporation into a more complex management tool. Our approach is to determine what such a multispecies model need look like in this situation, and then to consider the expected performance of such a model based on preliminary results from a simplified food-web and literature studies.