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As stated in the ecosystem approach to
fisheries management, the overarching
principles of ecosystem-based management of
fisheries are an extension of the conventional
principles for sustainable fisheries development to
cover the ecosystem as a whole. These aim 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.
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
ecosystem-based fisheries management, 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 ecosystem-based management in
fisheries are the following:
- Fisheries management agencies and others
involved in use of aquatic resources need to
identify 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
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
recognizedas playing an important role in
ecosystem management.
- 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 in implement ecosystem-based
management.
- 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 ecosystem-based management systems,
States and other management bodies should undertake
further research to help reduce the existing
uncertainties concerning ecosystem management, 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.
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