Ecosystem Approaches to Fisheries Management -Development of Operating Guidelines  Evolving the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF)  Topics for Content Areas of Guidelines  Status of some ongoing Ecosystem Projects  Discussion on Strategies for Ecosystem Guidelines Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee Meeting June 7-10, Washington, DC

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Definitions An ecosystem is a geographically specified system of organisms (including humans), the environment, and the processes that control its dynamics. The environment is the biological, chemical, physical, and social conditions that surround organisms. When appropriate, the term environment should be qualified as biological, chemical, physical, and/or social. -3-

Fishery Management (council, state, state Commissions, International agreements) Protected Resource Management (MMPA, ESA, Birds Etc.) Water Quality Management (EPA, states, etc.) Other management authorities for navigation, sanctuaries, food quality/safety, international agreements, climate change, etc. Coastal & EEZ Modifications (COE, MMS, etc.) Elements of Regional Ecosystem Governance fisheries are more dependent on decisions in other sectors interaction

Incorporating Ecosystem Considerations in Fisheries Management - questions  What are the important objectives of an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF)?  To what extent are they addressed now (e.g., in the MSFCMA)?  What ecosystem objectives would not be adequately addressed under conservative single-species or FMP-by-FMP approaches?  How could various strategies facilitate better and more consistent implementation of ecosystem approaches to fisheries or ecosystem approaches to management (EAM)?

Candidate Operational Objectives for EAF  Conserve and Manage Species - Target species, assemblages, non-target species, PET* species, biodiversity protection  Minimize Bycatch - target, non-target & PET species, and minimize waste  Manage Tradeoffs - among fisheries sectors, optimize fishery benefits, prevent sequential depletion/effort transfer, use management processes that are fair, equitable and transparent, consider cumulative impacts, evaluate impacts of non-fishery sectors, include diverse stakeholder views * PET = Protected, Endangered or Threatened Species

Goal Non-Resource Species: Barndoor Skate

Candidate Objectives for EAF, continued…  Account for Feedback Effects - predator-prey relationships, gear impacts on habitat productivity, irreversibility of fishing impacts, harvesting- induced regime change  Establish Appropriate Ecosystem Boundaries - allows for interconnections between adjacent ecosystems, allows for imports and exports, includes multiple spatial scales depending on issue  Maintain Ecosystem Productivity, Balance Ecosystem Structure - evaluate ecosystem carrying capacity, maintain resilience/resistance to perturbations, attain trophic balance

Phytoplankton Zooplankton Forage Fish Piscivores Apex Predators Humans The Trophic Pyramid and Energy Flow 1000 units 100 units 10 units 1 unit 0.1 unit 0.01 unit If transfer efficiency is 10% -5-

Spatial Scales & Boundaries -4-

Scales and Observations -7-

Candidate Objectives for EAF, continued.  Account for Climate Variability - low-frequency variation (decadal scale changes), High-frequency variation (year-to- year or more frequent), climate-based regime change  Use Adaptive Approaches to Management - consider multiple causes for observed changes and sources of uncertainty in assessment & prediction, reverse burden of proof where consequences are great, imbed experiments in management approaches to increase ecosystem knowledge

Regional Climatology Affects Ecosystems -8-

Interactions Between Physical & Biological Components of Ecosystems -9-

Known Unknown Unknowable Surface Production & Dynamics Status of Major Species Number of Species in the Oceans Structure of “pristine” ecosystems 3-D Structure of Selected Ocean Environments Evolutionary effects of human activities Synoptic Maps of the Sea Floor Food-web and particle size models Valuing Ecosystem Goods & Services Climate Variation effects on species & ecosystems Spatially-explicit models of predator-prey systems Status of all “important” species Mapping of Habitats Predictive models of many-species interactions Nutrient Enrichment & Toxics Reversibility of Human impacts Adapting to Knowledge

In FY04, Congress allocated ~$2 million for NOAA- Fisheries to conduct ecosystem management pilot projects in four regions:  New England  Mid-Atlantic  South Atlantic  Gulf of Mexico Report language from the Senate further explains - “The pilots purposely cover bodies of water that are contiguous, because the one influences the others. “ “Ultimately, should the pilots prove successful, the Committee would expect to fold more specific initiatives into the larger ecosystem approach.” “NMFS is directed to report to the Committees on Appropriations not later than December 1, 2003 on its plans for implementing the pilots.” Fisheries Ecosystem Pilot Projects

National Research Council Study on Ecosystem Effects of Fishing Terms of Reference Evaluate the evidence for fishing-induced ecosystem effects, Comment on the quality of data and models available to evaluate long-term ecosystem effects, Evaluate the implications of ecosystem effects of fishing for society & science, given uncertainty of information. Focus on characteristics of ecosystems providing sustainable production of goods and services in relation to those from pristine ecosystems, Propose appropriate research strategies to better evaluate ecosystem effects of fishing and the provision of policy guidance.

Evidence for reversibility of fishing effects Evidence for ecosystem change due to predator overfishing Fishing Impacts on System-wide Productivity - Sequential fishing down trophic levels - Trophic Cascades - Control hypotheses for fishery ecosystems - Fishing-Induced regime change Shifting Baselines – pristine, utilized, degraded ecosystems Global syntheses (& generalities) regarding fishery effects Effectiveness of MPAs for ecosystem objectives and fishery management Adequacy of data, indices & models National Research Council Study

Proposed Ecosystem-Based Management Survey for the Fisheries Management Councils (Draft Questions) (1) Is your FMC currently implementing an ecosystem approach to fisheries management? If so, describe how (include pilot projects). (2) Describe recent management decisions that were based upon the ecosystem approach. (3) Do existing statutes (e.g., MSFCMA, NEPA) provide sufficient authority for your FMC to implement fully an ecosystem approach to fisheries management? (4) What other limitations or restrictions do the Councils have with regard to managing their fisheries using ecosystem principles? -10-

Proposed Ecosystem-Based Management Survey (cont.) (5) What kinds of data or information are lacking that would be required for your FMC to implement an ecosystem approach? (6) What steps should your FMC take next to fully implement an ecosystem approach to fisheries?

 Why?  What?  How?  Who?  When? Our Next Steps… Discussion on the Merits of Guidelines/Guidance for EAF