Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management for the New England Fishery Management Council

Author(s):  
L. O'Boyle ◽  
S. Cadrin ◽  
D. Georgianna ◽  
J. Kritzer ◽  
M. Sissenwine ◽  
...  
2010 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 134-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Briana K. Brown ◽  
Elizabeth Soule ◽  
Les Kaufman

Abstract The Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (southern Gulf of Maine, northwest Atlantic) is partially overlapped by the Western Gulf of Maine Closure Area (WGMCA). This is a region in which mobile, bottom-disturbing fishing gear has been banned by the New England Fishery Management Council to facilitate the rebuilding of depleted groundfish populations. We assessed the effects and effectiveness of the WGMCA on groundfish assemblages using habitat-stratified (gravel, sand, mixed benthic habitats) sampling by means of a commercial trawler, inside and outside of the WGMCA. Sampling occurred over three month-long sampling periods in 2004-2005, two during the spring seasons and one during the fall season. A total of 18 species were analyzed for protection effects. After controlling for substratum, location and sampling season, eight groundfish species exhibited higher mean proportional abundance inside than outside the WGMCA while two were proportionally more abundant on average outside of the closure. Four species had higher mean proportional biomasses on average inside the closure and three outside. We conclude that the WGMCA may be achieving its goal of rebuilding abundance and biomass for some commercially targeted groundfishes but not all. This study, six to seven years post-closure establishment, reveals fine-scale spatial and taxonomic complexity which will require a very different monitoring protocol than the one currently in place if adaptive management is to be successful in the region.


<i>Abstract</i>.—There is a strong desire to move toward ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) in New England. However, there are many other problems in U.S. fisheries that have prevented timely adoption of EBFM. Changes in the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, requiring catch limits for federally managed fisheries, may help speed the movement toward ecosystembased approaches to fishery management. In the meantime, the term “integrated fishery management” (IFM) is being used by the New England Fishery Management Council to mean incorporating flexibility between fishery management plans to allow, and account for, mixed catch. If IFM is going to provide a step toward EBFM, there are several actions that must be taken: (1) adequate monitoring across all fisheries must be provided, (2) flexibility across existing management plans must encourage reporting and landing rather than discarding, (3) interjurisdictional coordination within and among states and federal management bodies must improve, and (4) application of the U.S./Canada Resource Sharing Understanding must expand.


2011 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
pp. 1354-1367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bonnie J. McCay ◽  
Sylvia Brandt ◽  
Carolyn F. Creed

Abstract McCay, B. J., Brandt, S., and Creed, C. F. 2011. Human dimensions of climate change and fisheries in a coupled system: the Atlantic surfclam case. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68: 1354–1367. Research on changes in a coupled marine system of the Mid-Atlantic Bight, focusing on Atlantic surfclams and the associated fishery and management system, is reviewed for how the human dimensions of this coupled socio-ecological system are addressed by the researchers. Our foci are on economic modelling of spatial choices, using dynamic optimization with adjustments that reflect better the natural and socio-economic realities of the fishery and on ethnographic observations of decision processes, particularly those of the regional fishery management council, with particular emphasis on cognitive frames and management communities. These are designed to be integrated with and to complement biophysical modelling of the complex coupled socio-ecological system.


2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (7) ◽  
pp. 1103-1111 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.G. Feeney ◽  
D.V. Boelke ◽  
J.J. Deroba ◽  
S. Gaichas ◽  
B.J. Irwin ◽  
...  

The New England Fishery Management Council used management strategy evaluation (MSE) to evaluate possible harvest control rules for Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus), the first MSE in the US and perhaps globally to use open-invitation, public workshops for input. Stakeholder inclusion can increase both realism and likelihood of use by managers, but inclusivity is not achieved easily. Here, self-selected participants had diverse backgrounds and differing levels of interest and preparedness. We describe some challenges with directly engaging the public in MSE and offer broader insights for obtaining effective public participation during a decision-making process. Conducting an open MSE aligns well with publicly driven management but requires clear goals and communication. Investment in effective organizers, impartial facilitators, and knowledgeable analysts can improve communication and understanding of MSE to the betterment of fisheries management. We aim to further MSE best practices on integrating stakeholders and hope that our lessons learned on communication, engagement, and integration of MSE into an existing management arena will be useful to other practitioners.


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