Evolution of Ecosystem-based Fishery Management

Transcription

1 Evolution of Ecosystem-based Fishery Management Gordon H. Kruse University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries & Ocean Sciences, Juneau, Alaska U.S.A. Patricia A. Livingston Alaska Fisheries Science Center National Marine Fisheries Service, Seattle, Washington U.S.A Glen S. Jamieson Fisheries and Oceans Canada Pacific Biological Station, Nanaimo, British Columbia Canada

2 Outline of Talk Definition of terms Historical context for ecosystem-based fishery management Overview of Canadian approaches for integrated management Review of Alaska framework for implementation Remaining challenges and future outlook

3 Primary Sources Garcia, S.M., A. Zerbi, C. Aliaume, T. Do Chi, and G. Lasserre The ecosystem approach to fisheries: issues, terminology, principles, institutional foundations, implementation and outlook. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO Technical Paper p. FAO Fisheries management. 2. The ecosystem approach to fisheries. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO Technical Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries 4 (Suppl. 2). 112 p.

4 Primary Sources Livingston, P.A., K. Aydin, J. Boldt, J. Ianelli, and J. Jurado-Molina A framework for ecosystem impacts assessment using an indicator approach. ICES Journal of Marine Science 62: Jamieson, G., R. O Boyle, O and 8 co-authors Proceedings of the national workshop on objectives and indicators for ecosystem-based management. Sidney, British Columbia, 27 February 2 March Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat Proceedings Series 2001/09, 140 p. Schumacher, J.D., and G.H. Kruse Toward sustainable ecosystem services from the Aleutian Archipelago. Fisheries Oceanography 14 (Suppl. 1):

5 Terminology

6 Definitions Integrated management comprehensive planning/regulation of human activities towards a complex set of interacting objectives Aims at minimizing user conflicts while assuring long-term stability Uses a collaborative approach involving stakeholders Considers cumulative effects of human activities

7 Definitions Ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) an approach that takes major ecosystem components and services into account in managing fisheries. Its goal is to sustain biological communities and marine ecosystems at high levels of productivity and biological diversity so as not to jeopardize a wide range of goods and services from marine ecosystems while providing food, revenues and recreation for humans. National Research Council Sustaining marine fisheries. National Academies Press, Washington, DC.

8 Definitions Ecosystem services benefits that people receive from ecosystems. Provisioning Services products obtained: food, water, fuel, fiber, biochemicals, genetic resources Regulating Services benefits from regulation: climate, disease, water purification Cultural Services non-material benefits: spiritual, recreational, ecotourism, aesthetic, educational Supporting Services necessary for production of all other ecosystem services: primary production, nutrient cycling, ecological value, sustaining conditions for life on earth

9 Historical Context

10 Some International Conventions Involving Ecosystem Considerations 1982 United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development 1992 Convention on Biodiversity 1995 Washington Declaration on Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities 1995 UN Fish Stock Agreement (straddling stocks) 1995 FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing FAO (1996) Precautionary Approach to Capture Fisheries and Species Introductions 2001 Reykjavik Declaration on Responsible Fisheries in the Marine Ecosystem

11 Some International Conventions Involving Ecosystem Considerations 1982 United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development 1992 Convention on Biodiversity 1995 Washington Declaration on Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities 1995 UN Fish Stock Agreement (straddling stocks) 1995 FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing FAO (1996) Precautionary Approach to Capture Fisheries and Species Introductions 2001 Reykjavik Declaration on Responsible Fisheries in the Marine Ecosystem

12 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea Provides a framework for the regulation of all uses of the oceans and for development of conservation and management measures Obliges all States to take measures to protect the marine environment and reduce, prevent, and control pollution of marine ecosystems Measures to conserve and manage living resources within the EEZ must take into account the effects of harvesting on species that are associated with or dependent on harvested species while ensuring that living resources are not endangered by overexploitation

13 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development Recognize sovereign rights to exploit resources, as well as responsibility to do so without damaging the environment To protect the environment, the precautionary approach shall be widely applied by States according to their capabilities. Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation.

14 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity States must adopt measures for conservation of biological diversity that should include establishing protected areas for conserving biodiversity and promote ecologically sustainable development in areas adjacent to protected areas. States shall rehabilitate and restore degraded ecosystems through management plans and promote the protection of ecosystems, natural habitats and the maintenance of viable populations

15 Canadian Laws Fisheries Act of 1857 (revised through 1991) Regulates capture, holding, and possession of all marine life Makes it illegal to harmfully alter, disrupt or destruct fish habitat Focus Conservation and protection of commercially exploited species and their habitats Oceans Act of 1997 Oceans must be managed as a collaborative effort among all stakeholders that use the oceans Requires new management tools Focus All human activities in Canadian ecosystems

16 United States Laws Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 (revised through 1996) Provides protocol and standards for developing fishery management plans Standards include: prevention of overfishing, rebuilding of overfished stocks, minimization of bycatch,, and protection of essential fish habitat Endangered Species Act of 1976 Provides for conservation of endangered plants and animals and their ecosystems Requires determinations that there will be no effects (of fisheries) on endangered species or their critical habitat

17 United States Laws Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 Strict limits on the take of marine mammals Regulations on import of marine mammal products into the U.S. National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) of 1969 Ensures consideration of environmental values in policy formulation Requires an Environmental Assessment (EA) that presents a brief analysis of environmental impacts Establishes whether a more extensive Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is necessary EIS must describe affected environment and consequences of activities, as well as alternatives

18 Developing an Ecosystem- based Fishery Management Plan

19 Developing an EBFM Plan Consultation with Stakeholders Scoping of Broad Issues Background Info/Analysis Setting Objectives Formulating Rules Implementation & Enforcement Monitoring Short-term term Assessment & Review Long-term Assessment & Review 3-55 yr Annual

20 Setting Objectives High-level Policy Goals (economic, social, environmental Broad Objective for Fishery Priority Issues (level at which management can address) Operational Objectives Indicators and Performance Measures Monitoring Review and Performance Evaluation

21 An Example High-level Policy Goal: Maintain ecosystem structure and function Broad Objective for Fishery: Maintain populations of predators and prey within ecologically viable levels Operational Objectives: Reduce harvest rate of large predators by 25% Reduce harvest rate of forage fishes by 25% Indicators and Performance Measures: Trophic level of the catch Size spectrum of the catch

22 Indicators: Catch and Trophic Level Total catch (1000 t) Gulf of Alaska Total catch TL Total catch Trophic level of catch Source: Pat Livingston, NMFS

23 Indicator: Size Spectrum 4th root N Eastern Bering Sea 4th root N h root Length class (cm) th root length class (cm) Year year Demersal fish size spectrum (20-90 cm) over Source: Pat Livingston, NMFS

24 Canadian Approach to Integrated Management

25 Pilot Projects to Test Implementation of IM Eastern Scotian Shelf Integrated Management (ESIM) Central Coast Land and Coastal Reserve Management Plan (CCLCRMP) Central Coast Integrated Management (CCIM)

26 Two Broad Overarching Goals Sustainability of Human Use Conservation of Species & Habitats Economic Dimension Social & Cultural Dimension Environmental Dimension

27 Conceptual Objectives for Conservation Conserve Ecosystem Components (Biodiversity) Conserve Component s Role (Productivity) Conserve Physical & Chemical Properties Maintain Communities Maintain Species Maintain Populations Maintain Primary Productivity Maintain Trophic Structure Maintain Population Generation Time Conserve Critical Landscape Conserve Water Quality Conserve Biota Quality

28 Unpacking: Operational Objectives Verb (e.g., maintain) Specific biological property or indicator (e.g., herring spawning biomass) Reference point (e.g., 50,000 t) t Lessons learned: Unpacking of conceptual objectives needs to occur as part of IM Tendency to use available data to define objectives rather than vice versa Tendency to focus on one set of objectives as it is difficult to get all relevant expertise together at once

29 Tools: Assessment Frameworks Index of Biotic Integrity (Karr et al. 1986): Technique to assess relative health of biotic community in an ecosystem Pools information from a series of different indicators Considers requisite components (i.e., structure) and interrelationships (i.e., function) Issues: (1) relies on comparisons with pristine reference site, (2) no rules on what is necessary and sufficient, and (3) robustness (error rates) have not been analyzed Traffic Light Approach (Caddy 1999) Originally developed to integrate multiple indicators of fish stock assessment in data-poor situations Multiple indicators are listed, equally weighted, and grouped in composites of related indicators Issues: under development for this ecosystem applications

30 Alaska Ecosystem Assessment Framework

31 Ecosystem Assessment Framework Establish assessment framework: objectives, thresholds, indicators Gather information: Historical status and trends, ecosystem components and stressors Generate management alternatives, future scenarios, predictive models DECISION Expert judgment to analyze impacts and provide advice

32 Part 1: Status and Trends Alaskan Ecosystem Considerations Chapter Ecosystem Chapter accompanies single species stock assessment advice to North Pacific Fishery Management Council since 1995 Provides status and historical trends of species, communities and ecosystem-level indicators of environmental and human impacts Allows monitoring of ecosystem-based management efforts

33 Management Indicators Time trends in bottom trawl effort 3500 Total catch and trophic level of catch Eastern Bering Sea ,500,000 4 Observed bottom trawl duration (24hr days) GOA AI BS Total catch (t) 2,000,000 1,500,000 1,000, ,000 0 Total catch Trophic level of catch Trophic level (catch) Year Seabird bycatch and fishing effort Longline effort (1,000 hooks) 250, , , ,000 50,000 0 Effort (1000 hooks) Number of seabirds Year 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 Incidental take of seabirds Amount and composition of non-target fish species in catch Total Catch (tons) BSAI Non-target

34 Ecosystem Status Indicators Seabird population trends Seabird Population Trends Fish community size spectrum Frequency N. Bering/Chukchi SE Bering SW Bering Gulf of Alaska Southeast Negative trend No discernable trend Positive trend In d e x Environmental fluctuations Pacific Decadal Oscillation PDO 5-month running mea n 15-month running mea n ln (N +1) ln (length midpoint +1) Size frequency distribution all fish Year Ye a r Status of structural habitat biota Biomass (t SEAPENS/WHIPS Population trends of non-target fish species YEAR

35 Part 2: Assessment, Prediction & Advice Requires an ecosystem impacts assessment framework Uses NEPA as the umbrella legislation for providing an ecosystem-based management framework that considers the ecosystem first Predictive models of possible future trends under various management strategies Provide guidance on possible combined effects of fishing and climate that are not captured under single species assessments

36 Examples of Models Numerical Biophysical Predictive Models Biological Food Base Energetic Models Wilderbuer et al Single Species Recruitment Models

37 Research Challenge and Solutions Challenge In many systems, knowledge of ecosystem function and structure is rudimentary and needs to be improved Two Solutions Increased funding: The U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy (2004) recommended doubling current federal ocean and coastal research budget from $650 M to $1.3 B Adaptive management: : Cautious experimentation to understand impact of incomplete knowledge

38 Conclusions Frameworks exist to develop an EBFM approach Need more explicit definition of EBFM objectives using public input Need to increase funding for research Need to improve assessment and decision- making frameworks Success depends on a commitment to the process, including an open and transparent involvement of all affected stakeholder groups