A method of calculating fishing mortalities which will allow depleted fish stocks to recover to levels near those giving greatest net annual increment within two to three decades is illustrated. These fishing mortalities are based on probabilistic descriptions of the future states of a depleted stock, and take into account uncertainty in assessments. Sample calculations show that applying a policy of F_0.1 will not always lead to stock recovery in two to three decades, and hence that additional management policies are required for depleted stocks. The implications of these studies for defining the terms 'depleted' and 'target levels for recovery' are briefly discussed.