The Northern Gulf of Mexico

This chapter describes the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) region and the major issues facing this marine fisheries ecosystem, and presents some summary statistics related to the 90 indicators of ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) criteria. The region contains high numbers of marine species comprising commercially and recreationally important invertebrate (e.g., penaeid shrimp, blue crab, eastern oyster) and finfish (e.g., red snapper, grouper, red drum, pelagic sportfishes) fisheries, which contribute heavily to national landings and seafood supply. The northern GOM contains one of the nation’s largest marine economies (among the eight U.S. regional marine ecosystems), which is dependent on offshore mineral extractions, tourism, marine transportation, living marine resources (LMRs), and other ocean uses. The GOM provides critical social and economic benefits to the region and the nation, is a region with high numbers of managed species, yet exploitation of these resources and an increasing human population makes the GOM an area subject to significant natural and human stressors, including the highest number of hurricanes in the U.S. Atlantic region, large expanses of hypoxic bottom water, overfishing, and major oil spills like the 2010 DWH event.

Methods for Characterizing and Examining Marine Fishery Ecosystems

There are many variables associated with assessing marine fishery ecosystems. These include exploring facets of the living marine resources (LMRs), habitats, oceans, economics, and social considerations associated with marine social-ecological systems. Yet which ones can help track progress toward ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) and, by extension, the efficacy of LMR management? This chapter provides a list of over 90 indicators we will use throughout the regional chapters, with documentation of data sources, time periods, and geographies covered, and the typical caveats associated with these data. This chapter also notes the methodology of how we synthesized all this information across all the regional chapters, noting the appropriate statistical and ranking methods we employed and the benchmarking criteria we considered to ascertain progress toward EBFM.

An Examination of Progress Toward Ecosystem-Based Management of Living Marine Resources in the U.S.

This chapter presents a cumulative examination of socioeconomic, governance, ecological, and environmental indicators among the eight major United States (U.S.) marine fishery ecosystems, 26 U.S. subregions, and 14 U.S. participatory regional fisheries management organization (RFMO) jurisdictions. Based on these indicators and as one might expect, some regions are making greater progress toward ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) than others, but in all U.S. marine ecosystems there has been notable progress toward EBFM, albeit on different facets for different regions. Common areas of notable progress toward EBFM are observed around the nation in areas of implementing ecosystem-level planning and advancing understanding of ecosystem processes. Overall, it appears that more inherently productive marine ecosystems tend to have greater biomass, fisheries landings, proportional LMR-based employments, and fisheries revenue. More work remains in areas of ecosystem and community resilience, as well as broader consideration of more systematic measures for a fisheries ecosystem (especially ecosystem-level reference points). Several areas of common challenges and anticipated concerns are identified, with an eye toward focusing efforts on addressing these issues.

So What?

This book has had eight regional chapters, one international chapter, and a synthesis chapter which all contain copious material for U.S. marine fisheries ecosystems. But what does it all mean? The overarching theme of this book is that although much work remains, much progress has occurred. This chapter provides a short synopsis of several major “so-whats” to elucidate the major lessons we have learned and the major issues still facing us regarding progress toward ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM). We attempt this synopsis by posing a series of questions, questions which are routinely presented to us, and then attempt to address them. We pose the question of what happens if we don’t do EBFM, and briefly explore some considerations that question raises. We conclude by asking where we will be in 10 years with respect to EBFM? Ten years ago the debate shifted from “what and why” of EBFM to “how” we actually do EBFM. Ten years from now we hope that the EBFM debate will have shifted into “how well have we been doing.”

Introduction

The underlying concepts of ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) have been considered for over a century. This chapter discusses broad, disciplinary perspectives on EBFM, noting how the topic has advanced, morphed, and evolved from debates over “what and why” to “how.” Several definitions of EBFM are provided, with a discussion on the past couple of decades for how this concept has developed. A brief exploration of policies related to EBFM is undertaken, with particular emphasis on the U.S.’s EBFM Road Map. The rationale for and obstacles to EBFM are also discussed, with the aim to spur further discussion on how EBFM can be more fully implemented and the benefits from it realized.

The U.S. Pacific Region

This chapter describes the Pacific region and the major issues facing this marine fisheries ecosystem, and presents some summary statistics related to the 90 indicators of ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) criteria. The Pacific contains the sixth-highest number of managed taxa in the nation, including commercially and recreationally important salmon, Pacific sardine, and other coastal pelagic species, Pacific groundfish (e.g., rockfishes, flatfishes, halibut, Pacific hake, Pacific cod, sablefish, lingcod), cephalopods, Dungeness crab, and highly migratory fishes. The Pacific ecosystem emerges as an environment with biota and marine communities that are responding to the consequences of historical overexploitation of its fisheries resources, habitat loss, increasing coastal development, nutrient loading, HABs, ocean acidification, climate forcing, marine heatwaves, and other ocean uses. Overall, EBFM progress has been made at the regional level, and to a certain degree within subregions, in terms of implementing ecosystem-level planning, advancing knowledge of ecosystem principles, and in assessing risks and vulnerabilities to ecosystems through ongoing investigations into climate vulnerability and species prioritizations for stock and habitat assessments. While information has been obtained and calculations and models developed, and some progress has been made toward incorporating ecosystem information in LMR management, limited progress has been made on using ecosystem-level emergent properties in management frameworks or exploring system trade-offs.

Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management

By examining a suite of over 90 indicators for nine major U.S. fishery ecosystem jurisdictions, Link and Marshak systematically track the progress the U.S. has made toward advancing ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) and making it an operational reality. Covering a range of socioeconomic, governance, environmental forcing, major pressures, systems ecology, and fisheries criteria, they evaluate progress toward EBFM in the U.S., covering a wide range of longitude, latitude, and parts of major ocean basins, representing over 10% of the world’s ocean surface area. They view progress toward the implementation of EBFM as synonymous with improved management of living marine resources in general, and highlight lessons learned from a national perspective. Although US-centric, the lessons learned are applicable for all parts of the global ocean. Though much work remains, significant progress has been made to better address many of the challenges facing the sustainable management of our living marine resources.

Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs)

The U.S. participates in transboundary management of migratory and high seas fisheries species as a signatory to 14 major intergovernmental conventions, treaties, and regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) throughout the Atlantic and Pacific basins. The U.S. is also a participant in several other international living marine resource (LMR), conservation, and scientific organizations. The reason is that in addition to domestic fisheries resources contained within its EEZ, international, transboundary, and high seas fisheries contribute significantly to U.S. fisheries landings, revenue, and LMR-based employments. This chapter briefly describes those participatory RFMOs and related organizations, and presents some summary statistics related to the ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) criteria noted throughout the regional chapters in this book. Significant progress has been made toward greater understanding of Atlantic and Pacific ecosystems within RFMO jurisdictions, but as expected, generally, progress toward EBFM in RFMOs has been slower than in other regions within the US EEZ, with several challenges remaining unique to what are often taxa-oriented organizations. Given that advances toward EBFM have been occurring throughout several RFMOs, with specific progress of adopting ecosystem considerations occurring in various jurisdictions, particularly in the Antarctic.

The U.S. Caribbean Region

This chapter describes the Caribbean region and the major issues facing this marine fisheries ecosystem, and presents some summary statistics related to the 90 indicators of ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) criteria. While containing the highest number of managed taxa among the eight regional U.S. marine ecosystems, including over 200 distinctly managed coral reef species, this region has been challenged by historical exploitation of its important fisheries, particularly Caribbean spiny lobster, queen conch, and its snapper-grouper complex. The U.S. Caribbean has been affected by above average natural and human stressors that include the nationally second-highest rate of SST increase over the past 70 years, increasing frequency and intensity of hurricanes, high coastal development, and concentrated historical fishing pressure. Although ranked low overall regarding the status of its marine socioeconomics, the U.S. Caribbean leads nationally in terms of aspects of its marine tourism, particularly cruise ship destinations, which contribute heavily to its local economy. Overall, EBFM progress has been made in terms of implementing ecosystem-level planning, advancing knowledge of ecosystem principles, and in assessing risks and vulnerabilities to ecosystems through ongoing investigations into climate vulnerability and species prioritizations for stock and habitat assessments.