Abstract

Resource managers worldwide are being asked to consider the ecosystem while making management decisions. Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) provides a flexible framework for addressing ecosystem considerations in decision making. The US Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) adapted the IEA approach and implemented a structured decision framework to address species, fleet, habitat, and climate interactions as part of their Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) in 2016. The Council’s EAFM decision framework first uses risk assessment to prioritize fishery-ecosystem interactions for consideration. The Council’s 2017 EAFM risk assessment identified a range of ecological, social, and management objectives or risk elements. Development of a conceptual model to identify key environmental, ecological, social, economic, and management linkages for a high-priority fishery is the second step in the framework. The Council identified summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus) as a high-risk fishery and finalized an EAFM conceptual model that considers high-risk factors and ecosystem elements in 2019. The Council used the conceptual model to identify three priority summer flounder management questions (recreational data uncertainty, recreational discards, and distribution shifts) to be considered for quantitative management strategy evaluation, the third step in the EAFM framework and set to begin in 2020. Finally, as strategies are implemented, outcomes are monitored and the process is adjusted, and/or other priorities identified in the risk assessment can be addressed. The Council’s rapid progress in implementing EAFM resulted from an extensive, positive, and collaborative process between managers, stakeholders, and scientists. Collaboration helps build trust and buy-in from all participants and is essential to IEA and to the success of EAFM.

摘要

要求全球的资源经理在制定管理决策时考虑生态系统。综合生态系统评估（IEA）为解决决策中的生态系统问题提供了灵活的框架。美国中大西洋渔业管理委员会（理事会）采用了IEA的方法，并实施了结构化的决策框架来解决物种，船队，栖息地和气候之间的相互作用，这是其2016年渔业生态系统方法（EAFM）的一部分。理事会的EAFM决策框架首先使用风险评估来优先考虑渔业与生态系统之间的相互作用。理事会2017年EAFM风险评估确定了一系列生态，社会和管理目标或风险要素。开发概念模型以识别关键的环境，生态，社会，经济，高优先级渔业的管理联系是框架的第二步。理事会确定了夏季比目鱼（牙副）作为高风险渔业，并最终确定了EAFM概念模型，该模型在2019年考虑了高风险因素和生态系统要素。理事会使用该概念模型确定了三个优先夏季比目鱼管理问题（娱乐数据不确定性，娱乐性丢弃物和分布变化） ）将被考虑用于量化管理策略评估，这是EAFM框架的第三步，定于2020年开始。最后，随着策略的实施，结果的监测和流程的调整，和/或风险评估中确定的其他优先事项可以解决。理事会在实施EAFM方面的快速进展归因于管理人员，利益相关者和科学家之间的广泛，积极和协作的过程。