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| | | Ecosystem-based management of Fisheries |
Maintained by FAO-FI
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|  Effectively preventing, deterring and eliminating IUU fishing in international waters requires cooperation among states. Such cooperation is also often required if action within waters under national jurisdiction is to be effective, due to the mobility of fishing vessels. The prospects of significantly reducing the incidence of IUU fishing will depend to a large measure on the extent to which states succeed in cooperating to put a stop to IUU fishing, in addition to implementing effective MCS measures within their own jurisdictions.The overarching principles of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) are an extension of the conventional principles for sustainable fisheries development and management to explicitly deal with ecosystem issues such as resources conservation, habitat protection, fishery and non-fishery impacts, etc. The aim is to ensure that, despite variability, uncertainty and likely natural changes in the ecosystem, the capacity of aquatic ecosystems to produce fish food, revenues, employment and, more generally, other essential services and livelihoods, are maintained indefinitely for the benefit of present and future generations. The main implication is the need to cater both for human, as well as ecosystem, well-being. This means conservation of ecosystem structures, processes and interactions through sustainable use. It further entails consideration of a range of frequently conflicting objectives - and the required consensus may not be achievable without equitable distribution of benefits. | | | | A ecosystem monitoring system should be designed and implemented to ensure that the information necessary for tracking sustainability indicators is collected in a reliable and timely manner. | | | | An effective consultation and decision-making process must be established to ensure that all legitimate stakeholders can be consulted on any changes needed in the management strategy as a response to variations in the ecosystem (including changes in the nature and pattern of human usage). This forms part of the essential adaptive control system to respond to inevitable change and variability in ecosystems. | | | | As with any management system, an appropriate and effective enforcement system must be implemented. Together with immediate implementation of robust and pragmatic EAF-based systems, States and other management bodies should undertake further research to help reduce the existing uncertainties concerning ecosystem-related aspects, thus facilitating improved management. Such research could include the following: | | | | Developing conceptual models of the food web for each distinct ecosystem in order to explore possible ecosystem responses to different management actions. | | | | Monitoring ecosystem interactions, such as diet composition and population dynamics of key species, to improve knowledge where there may be key gaps in the conceptual models of the food web. | | | | Identifying critical habitats for the key species in the ecosystem, and specifying and addressing any threats to these. | | | | Improving monitoring of bycatch and discards in all fisheries. | | | | Considering improved methods for consultation and joint-decision making so as to improve ecosystem governance. | | | | Effectively preventing, deterring and eliminating IUU fishing in international waters requires cooperation among states. Such cooperation is also often required if action within waters under national jurisdiction is to be effective, due to the mobility of fishing vessels. The prospects of significantly reducing the incidence of IUU fishing will depend to a large measure on the extent to which states succeed in cooperating to put a stop to IUU fishing, in addition to implementing effective MCS measures within their own jurisdictions. | | | | These needs are widely recognized and accepted by fisheries management agencies and interest groups worldwide but there is still great uncertainty as to how to put an effective ecosystem management system into practice. Conventional fisheries management focuses on a single species or stock and generally assumes that the productivity of that stock is a function only of its inherent population dynamics characteristics. However, even following this model, fisheries management has been, at best, only partially successful. Major problems have emerged due to uncertainty of the status and dynamics of the stock; a tendency to give priority to the short-term social and economic needs at the expense of longer-term sustainability of the stock; poorly-defined objectives and institutional weaknesses - particularly in relation to the absence of long-term rights among different key stakeholders and decision-making structures and processes. | | | | As management expands its focus from target stock to ecosystem, all of these problems increase multiplicatively and biological uncertainty becomes ecological uncertainty, which is even more complex. The number of competing users increases, as do the resulting conflicts of interest, objectives become more intricate and conflicting, and the number of stakeholders expands to include all the users of all the different ecosystem components. Of course, this growing complexity is a result of recognizing the inter-dependence of all ecosystem components, instead of the false assumption that stocks are independent. However, while it is a major conceptual advance, the practical problems raised are immense. This is apparent from the list of 30 elements comprising the foundations and components of ecosystem management suggested by the 5th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Nevertheless, there are pragmatic ways in which to begin implementation of EAF even as we strive for greater knowledge of ecosystem functioning and how to deal with complex human institutions and societies. | | | | Among the immediate steps that should be taken in moving towards EAF in fisheries are the following: | | | | Fisheries management agencies and others involved in use of aquatic resources need to identify (and map) the different ecosystems under their jurisdiction, the boundaries of those ecosystems and their characteristics. In consultation with all legitimate stakeholders and interest groups, objectives must be agreed upon for each ecosystem, and potential conflicts and inconsistencies in those objectives recognised and addressed. This will require involvement of both fishery and non-fishery stakeholders and will include setting objectives for each of the fisheries, taking into account the constraints of the ecosystem and the objectives of other stakeholders. Objectives should be both long-term and short-term and would normally cover biological, ecological, economic, social and institutional issues. | | | | In accordance with the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, biological and ecological (collectively ecosystem) objectives should include, inter alia conservation of biodiversity and protection of endangered species, consideration of "adverse environmental impacts on the resources" and minimization of "pollution, waste, discards, catch by lost or abandoned gear, catch of non-target species_ and impacts on associated or dependent species." | | | | As a part of setting the objectives, sustainability indicators should be established for each ecosystem. These both facilitate communication, transparency and accountability in management and help assess the status of ecosystem elements, hence guiding management actions. There is a clear link between sustainability indicators and reference points, the latter describing either targets to be aimed for in the sustainabilty indicators or limits to be avoided. | | | | Suitable management strategies, typically consisting of a suite of management measures, should be designed to achieve the set of objectives. Typically, the management measures will encompass a combination of technical measures, closed areas and seasons, input and/or output controls, and a suitable system of access rights for all users. Closed areas are recognized as playing an important role in the approach. | | | | Given the high levels of uncertainty concerning the status and dynamics of ecosystems and their response to perturbation, application of the precautionary approach is particularly important. | | | | |
 | | | | | | | Title | Maputo Workshop Report on sustainable use of biodiversity
( DOCUMENT )
| | Author(s) / Editor(s) | CBD | | Description | Document presented at the CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY, Sixth meeting, The Hague, 7-19 April 2002. The report presents the guiding principles for sustainable use with focus on terestrial, dryland, resourcesand wildlife utilisation | | Keywords | ECOSYSTEM; MANAGEMENT; EBFM; FISHERIES | |
| Content Language(s) | English | | File Location | CBD__Maputo_report.doc | |
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| Type of Document | Paper: Conference paper | | Document Status | Finished | | Publisher | CBD | |
| Publication Date | April 2002 | |
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| Serge Garcia
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1076 Topics - 5135 Related Knowledge - 2534 Members - 34 Editors |
