It is not intended that this guidance explain what a social baseline is or why it is important to properly characterize impacts, but rather it is to be used to enhance consistency in social baselines. More specifically, to support practitioners in selecting the right data collection tools at the appropriate stage in the project life cycle to inform better outcomes for both communities and proponents. Accordingly, this guidance is designed to help practitioners develop social baselines that: • Suitably characterize impacts to fisheries and associated stakeholders • Can be scaled to suit a variety of different offshore contexts and projects • Will stand up to institutional scrutiny • Reduce delays associated with the collection of incorrect data • Support efforts to avoid and/or minimize impacts on fisheries and associated communities