Numerous decisions are made by managers and regulators of environmental issues and fisheries resources. Most (nearly all) are made without any subsequent study to determine whether the actions taken actually solved the problem being managed. Yet, the implementation of these decisions is an experimental test of the predictions being made by decision-makers. This paper explores the relationships between environmental decision-making and experimental ecological research. Examples of large-scale experiments to investigate environmental impacts and to restore water-flow to mangrove forests are discussed. In addition, experiments often need to be done to provide the information to allow coherent decisions. Examples are illustrated involving fisheries for urchins on the coast of New South Wales and for trochid shells in the Solomon Islands. Much better management is possible if managerial decisions are studied properly as ecological experiments.
