Ecosystem-Based Implementation of Management in Marine Capture Fisheries
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Implementation of Case studies from WWF’s Marine Ecoregions Ecosystem-Based Management in Marine Capture Fisheries Chris Grieve and Katherine Short Contents 3 Foreword 4 Introduction 6 The Case Studies 8 Step 1 Yellow Sea Marine Ecoregion 13 Step 2 Eastern African Marine Ecoregion 19 Step 3 Baltic Sea Marine Ecoregion 25 Step 4 Fiji Islands Marine Ecoregion 30 Step 5 North West Atlantic Marine Ecoregion – Grand Banks, Canada 35 Step 6 Benguela Current Marine Ecoregion 41 Step 7 Heard & McDonald Islands/Prince Edward Islands/Kerguelen and Crozet Islands initiatives 47 Step 8 South West Atlantic/Patagonian Shelf Marine Ecoregion – San Matías Gulf, Argentina 51 Step 9 Gulf of California Marine Ecoregion – Mexico 54 Step 10 Bismarck Solomon Seas Marine Ecoregion – Bird’s Head Peninsula Seascape, Indonesia 59 Step 11 Southern Ocean – Antarctic Krill 66 Step 12 Western African Marine Ecoregion & New Zealand Marine Ecoregion 72 Conclusion © WWF-Canon / Roger HOOPER Foreword he myriad of life beneath the surface of coastal seas and open ocean stir wonder in all who experience it. Humanity derives aesthetic, economic, nutritional, cultural, social and emotional value from the marine environment and the life within. Unfortunately however, the litany of threat is well documented despite calls to action by the more responsible and legitimate industry, governments and community-based voices at the annual cycle of international meetings and conferences. Overall Tthough, the decline continues across the world; however as this compilation of case studies attests, in some places the attitude has turned, predominantly in coastal environments, but also on the high seas. In certain places near collapses have stirred communities and legislators to act. In others, collapses have been prevented and restoration is underway. This publication presents a short catalogue of good news stories describ- ing how key actors are pursuing more sustainable solutions. These case studies illustrate the steps in an approach to managing human maritime activities known as ecosystem-based management (EBM). EBM has been used in terrestrial resource management for about 15 years, but its application to marine resource management only began more recently. WWF was the first global conservation organisation to proffer an EBM framework for marine fisheries, thus creating a testing ground for precautionary, conservation-oriented EBM for all relevant maritime sectors. The case studies presented here further indicate that EBM for the oceans is no longer a hypothetical concept. It can be, and has been, implemented and is making significant gains. At this point, WWF and partners internationally have experience of EBM and evidence that if applied, it can produce significant wins for stakeholders, marine ecosystems and their surrounding environment. Much of this experience was gained through developing ecoregional conservation in the early 1990s, a methodology designed to bring a larger-scale, multi-stakeholder and science-based approach to conservation. Ecoregional conservation and EBM have many complementary elements and most of the examples here draw on work in WWF’s focal marine ecoregions. These examples were specifically selected to illustrate the range of the various tools being used and, most importantly, the critical involvement of stakeholders. It is an important and key aspect of EBM that no one organisation or approach can solve complex resource management challenges. There are a number of other current EBM case studies underway including field-based pilot projects funded mainly by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. One is profiled here in Step 10: Birds Head Peninsula – Indonesia. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat is also collating EBM case studies. Mostly in the United States, other specific EBM science, policy and data tools are being developed. WWF is embarking on a process of applying EBM to other maritime sectors and invites those interested in collaborating to join this next stage of the journey to strengthen marine resource management, lessen human impacts and restore the bounty of the oceans and livelihoods that depend on them. William M. Eichbaum DR SimoN CRipps VP AND MANAGING DIRectoR - MARINE PORtfolio DIRectoR - Global MARINE PROGRamme WWF-US WWF INteRNatioNal Introduction 4 WF’s Global Marine Programme focuses its media; lobbying decision-makers; and bringing people Wactivities on the most significant threats facing and governments together to co-operate on managing the marine environment today, and where WWF has their shared marine resources. the expertise to provide solutions for the future. The The work features a large-scale ecoregional WWF marine team consists of marine scientists, policy approach that incorporates ecosystem-based man- experts, economists, lawyers and communications agement (EBM), with priorities guided by established experts who work in over 40 countries. The work is targets and milestones. An ecoregion is a large geo- focused in more than 0 prioritised, diverse marine graphical area, often covering tens of thousands of ecoregions around the world – from polar ice caps and square kilometres and crossing national borders. Each highly productive upwellings, to coral reefs, mangrove ecoregion may have characteristic or distinct eco- forests and deep-sea habitats. systems, that is, species assemblages, habitats and The WWF Global Marine environmental conditions. Initiatives and hundreds of Programme aims to develop and on-the-ground projects, involving many partners are WWF’s Priority Marine advocate solutions for sustain- aimed at addressing specific issues. ECOREGIONS able fishing and the creation and management of Marine Protected Barents-Kara Seas Areas. This involves champion- Two key aspects of the WWF Bering Sea ing sustainable livelihoods and Bismarck-Solomon Seas ecoregion approach are: the conservation of oceans and 1. The sustainable management of fisheries and Canary Current coasts by working closely with other marine resources through ecosystem-based Eastern African Marine fishers and local communities; management. Fiji Barrier Reef Galápagos Marine commissioning and publishing 2. The establishment of well-managed, representative Grand Banks impartial research and data; de- networks of Marine Protected Areas. Greater Antillean Marine veloping political advice for gov- Great Barrier Reef ernments; trying to harmonise the Gulf of California work of governments and other Mediterranean Sea non-governmental organisations Mesoamerican Reef (NGOs); campaigning through the New Zealand Marine Northeast Atlantic Patagonian Southwest Atlantic Southern Ocean Sulu-Sulawesi Seas Western Australia Marine West Africa Marine West Indian Ocean Marine West Madagascar Marine Yellow Sea The ecoregions shown in this map are illustrative and do not imply definitive boundaries or borders. Ecosystem-based management 5 (EBM) in marine capture fisheries SIX ELEMENTS FOR SUCCESSFUL EBM IN FISHERIES: WWF’s approach to EBM is guided by a comprehensive 1 Operate within a policy framework designed to policy framework, Policy Proposals and Operational incorporate EBM principles 2 Recognise economic, social and cultural Guidance for Ecosystem-Based Management of interests Marine Capture Fisheries1. EBM aims to achieve ‘sus- 3 Recognise the risk of the impacts of resource tainability’ in exploiting natural resources. Two main exploitation on ecological values 4 Incorporate adequate information on exploited themes run through the concept: the effect of the en- species vironment on the resource, and conversely, the effect 5 Ensure the fishery management system is of resource exploitation on the environment. EBM is a adequate for EBM to be effective highly integrated approach that encompasses all the 6 Consider externalities that may affect the resource complexities of ecosystem dynamics, the social and economic needs of human communities, and the main- tenance of diverse, functioning and healthy ecosystems. Scientists have constructed a set of principles for this approach. Implementing EBM in marine capture fisheries requires taking careful account of the condition of eco- systems that may affect fish stocks and their productiv- ity. It also requires taking equally careful account of the © WWF-Canon / Mauri RAUTKARI ways fishing activities may affect marine ecosystems. Marine ecosystems are very complex, our knowl- procedures that measure the populations and produc- edge of them limited, and the ways in which fisheries tivity of fish stocks, for example, to determine future affect them is poorly understood, so the EBM approach Total Allowable Catches (TACs) of target fish species. to managing fisheries accepts that decisions will often be Evaluating the success of a fishery in meeting EBM made in a climate of uncertainty. However, uncertainty principles will necessarily be more complex, because in should never be an excuse for inaction. Management addition to fish stocks, a range of habitat and species decisions are best made using multiple lines of evi- indicators need to be used to determine the health of the ecosystem. However, the general evaluation methods and approach of an EBM system will be familiar to many THE PRINCIPLES OF EBM fishery managers, including the familiar problems of Ecosystem-based management has objectives and data weakness and model uncertainty. Overall, the EBM targets that: concept offers the best prospect of achieving fisheries • Focus on maintaining the natural structure and that appropriately