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Fisheries management. 2. The ecosystem approach to fisheries










FAO Fisheries Department. Fisheries management. 2. The ecosystem approach to fisheries. FAO Technical Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries. No. 4, Suppl. 2. Rome, FAO. 2003. 112 p.


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    The ecosystem approach to fisheries. Issues, terminology, principles, institutional foundations, implementation and outlook. 2003
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    Ecosystems are complex and dynamic natural units that produce goods and services beyond those of benefit to fisheries. Because fisheries have a direct impact on the ecosystem, which is also impacted by other human activities, they need to be managed in an ecosystem context. The meaning of the terms "ecosystem management", "ecosystem-based management", "ecosystem approach to fisheries" (EAF), etc., are still not universally defined and progressively evolving. The justification of EAF is evident i n the characteristics of an exploited ecosystem and the impacts resulting from fisheries and other activities. The rich set of international agreements of relevance to EAF contains a large number of principles and conceptual objectives. Both provide a fundamental guidance and a significant challenge for the implementation of EAF. The available international instruments also provide the institutional foundations for EAF. The FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries is particularly important in this respect and contains provisions for practically all aspects of the approach. One major difficulty in defining EAF lies precisely in turning the available concepts and principles into operational objectives from which an EAF management plan would more easily be developed. The paper discusses these together with the types of action needed to achieve them. Experience in EAF implementation is still limited but some issues are already apparent,e.g. in added complexity, insufficient capacity, slow implementation, need for a pragmatic approach, etc. It is argued, in conclusion, that the future of EAF and fisheries depends on the way in which the two fundamental concepts of fisheries management and ecosystem management, and their respective stakeholders, will join efforts or collide.
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    Aquaculture development 6 - Use of wild fishery resources for capture-based aquaculture 2011
    These technical guidelines have been produced to supplement the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (the Code). The Code and many international agreements and conferences highlight the benefi ts of and need for adopting an ecosystem approach to fi sheries and an ecosystem approach to aquaculture through the principles and concepts elaborated therein. The objective of the guidelines is to assist countries to develop aquaculture, in particular that involving signifi cant use of natural resources, in a sustainable way that produces the greatest social and economic benefi ts without compromising the underlying resource base for future generations. The heavy dependence of capture-based aquaculture (CBA) on wild resources and its implications for wild populations have been increasingly recognized in the last decade. These guidelines address the actual and potential impacts of wild-seed harvest on target and non-target (bycatch) species (including threatened sp ecies), on biodiversity, and on the environment and marine ecosystem. The guidelines also consider harvest and post-collection practices, grow-out, feed and broodstock, social and economic factors, and governance considerations. They also identify CBA principles and guidelines for good practices, and provide numerous illustrative case studies from a diverse range of species and fisheries.
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    Report of the Expert Workshop on the Development and Use of Indicators for an Ecosystem approach to fisheries. Rome, 20-24 April 2009. 2011
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    The Expert Workshop on the development and use of indicators for an ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) was held in Rome from 20 to 24 April 2009 under the EAF-Nansen project (Strengthening the Knowledge Base for and Implementing an Ecosystem Approach to Marine Fisheries in Developing Countries). It was attended by 13 participants from Africa, Europe, Australia and Oceania, North America and FAO. The main objectives of the expert workshop were to identify suitable indicators for fish eries management, discuss the properties of these indicators, and provide advice on methodologies for the derivation, integration/aggregation and visualization of the indicators. Emphasis was placed on applicability of the derived indicators in developing countries and/or data-poor situations. It was noted that in spite of the abundance of indicators for fisheries management in the scientific literature, there is limited practical guidance as regards their relevance and cost-effectiv eness. In preparation for the expert workshop, three expert reviews were commissioned by FAO to establish what relevant indicators are available for EAF, their properties, and whether/where they have been used. Each review was intended to provide a structured assessment of available indicators for fisheries management classified in accordance with the hierarchical tree framework for identifying major issues in fisheries. For each indicator, an assessment of its properties in relation to data availability, practicality, cost-effectiveness, comprehension, acceptability by stakeholders, and robustness was made. The adopted definition for an Indicator was taken as ¿Something that is measured (not necessarily numerically) and used to track an operational objective¿ and it was noted that any indicator that does not relate to an operational objective is not useful in this context. The participants concluded that the three background papers provided an excellent starting point for an FAO Technical Paper on the development and use of indicators in EAF. A case study of the Tanzanian mixed coastal fishery was used to test whether the list of indicators was flexible enough to cover various situations (data rich/poor, high/low capacity, etc.) and how the trigger and reference points would differ depending on the objectives of each fishery. Using the indicators provided in the three reviews and the Tanzanian case study, the workshop defined a list of prior ity indicators. The workshop was also informed on the IndiSeas (Indicators for the Seas) Programme, a EUR-OCEANS European Network of Excellence working group to gather and share indicator expertise across marine ecosystems and member institutions. Information was also received on a programme on incorporating the human dimension to the ecosystem approach to fisheries, and specifically on indicators for supply elasticity. It was noted that there are several areas where these projects c ould be linked with benefits to parties. The participants agreed on a roadmap for further development and refinement of the derived indicators as inputs for the FAO Technical Paper and to organize a special workshop on indicators for ecosystem surveys using research vessels. It was also agreed to develop a template for reporting on the implementation of EAF for inclusion within the reporting on the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF).

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