Responsible fisheries management is of increasing interest to the scientific community, resource managers, policy makers, stakeholders and the general public. Focusing solely on managing one species of fish stock at a time has become less of a viable option in addressing the problem. Incorporating more holistic considerations into fisheries management by addressing the trade-offs among the range of issues involved, such as ecological principles, legal mandates and the interests of stakeholders, will hopefully challenge and shift the perception that doing ecosystem-based fisheries management is unfeasible. Demonstrating that EBFM is in fact feasible will have widespread impact, both in US and international waters. Using case studies, underlying philosophies and analytical approaches, this book brings together a range of interdisciplinary topics surrounding EBFM and considers these simultaneously, with an aim to provide tools for successful implementation and to further the debate on EBFM, ultimately hoping to foster enhanced living marine resource 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"--Publisher's description.

Conventional management approaches cannot meet the challenges faced by ocean and coastal ecosystems today. Consequently, national and international bodies have called for a shift toward more comprehensive ecosystem-based marine management. Synthesizing a vast amount of current knowledge, Ecosystem-Based Management for the Oceans is a comprehensive guide to utilizing this promising new approach. At its core, ecosystem-based management (EBM) is about acknowledging connections. Instead of focusing on the impacts of single activities on the delivery of individual ecosystem services, EBM focuses on the array of services that we receive from marine systems, the interactive and cumulative effects of multiple human activities on these coupled ecological and social systems, and the importance of working towards common goals across sectors. Ecosystem-Based Management for the Oceans provides a conceptual framework for students and professionals who want to understand and utilize this powerful approach. And it employs case studies that draw on the experiences of EBM practitioners to demonstrate how EBM principles can be applied to real-world problems. The book emphasizes the importance of understanding the factors that contribute to social and ecological resilience —the extent to which a system can maintain its structure, function, and identity in the face of disturbance. Utilizing the resilience framework, professionals can better predict how systems will respond to a variety of disturbances, as well as to a range of management alternatives. Ecosystem-Based Management for the Oceans presents the latest science of resilience, while it provides tools for the design and implementation of responsive EBM solutions.

As the ecosystem-based trend in fisheries management continues to be implemented worldwide, a thorough background of this new management approach and resulting implementation strategies is needed. Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management in the Western Pacific presents a full picture of the process changes used in switching from target species based management to EBFM, using a region that is at the forefront of this widely accepted movement. Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management in the Western Pacific is the outgrowth of a series of three workshops convened by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management council. The book follows the logical approach of each workshop, beginning with an assessment of the current state of fisheries management, transitioning through the data sources and modeling systems used to advance EBFM, and ending with practical methodologies for more thorough global implementation in the future. Contributed by experts from the Pacific regions as well as the UK and Non-pacific States, this book is one of the first available compendiums on this important movement and will be applicable to fisheries scientists and researchers, fisheries managers, policy makers, and social scientists worldwide

This handbook is the most comprehensive and interdisciplinary work on marine conservation and fisheries management ever compiled. It is the first to bridge fisheries and marine conservation issues. Its innovative ideas, detailed case studies, and governance framework provide a global special perspective over time and treat problems in the high seas, community fisheries, industrial fishing, and the many interactions between use and non-use of the oceans. Its policy tools and ideas for overcoming the perennial problems of over fishing, habitat and biodiversity loss address the facts that many marine ecosystems are in decline and plagued by overexploitation due to unsustainable fishing practices. An outstanding feature of the book is the detailed case-studies on conservation practice and fisheries management from around the world. These case studies are combined with 'foundation' chapters that provide an overview of the state of the marine world and innovative and far reaching perspectives about how we can move forward to face present and future challenges. The contributors include the world's leading fisheries scientists, economists, and managers. Ecosystem and incentive-based approaches are described and complemented by tools for cooperative, participatory solutions. Unique themes treated: fisher behavior and incentives for management beyond rights-based approaches; a synthesis of proposed 'solutions'; a framework for understanding and overcoming the critical determinants of the decline in fisheries, degradation of marine ecosystems, and poor socio-economic performance of many fishing communities; models for innovative policy instruments; a plan of action and adoption pathways to promote sustainable fishing practices globally. Collectively, the handbook's many valuable contributions offer a way forward to both understanding and resolving the multifaceted problems facing the world's oceans.

Fluctuations and declines in marine fish populations have caused growing concern among marine scientists, fisheries managers, commercial and recreational fishers, and the public. Sustaining Marine Fisheries explores the nature of marine ecosystems and the complex interacting factors that shape their productivity. The book documents the condition of marine fisheries today, highlighting species and geographic areas that are under particular stress. Challenges to achieving sustainability are discussed, and shortcomings of existing fisheries management and regulation are examined. The volume calls for fisheries management to adopt a broader ecosystem perspective that encompasses all relevant environmental and human influences. Sustaining Marine Fisheries offers new approaches to building workable fisheries management institutions, improving scientific data, and developing management tools. The book recommends ways to change current practices that encourage overexploitation of fish resources. It will be of special interest to marine policymakers and ecologists, fisheries regulators and managers, fisheries scientists and marine ecologists, fishers, and concerned individuals.

This topical and exciting textbook describes fisheries exploitation, biology, conservation and management, and reflects many recent and important changes in fisheries science. These include growing concerns about the environmental impacts of fisheries, the role of ecological interactions in determining population dynamics, and the incorporation of uncertainty and precautionary principles into management advice. The book draws upon examples from tropical, temperate and polar environments, and provides readers with a broad understanding of the biological, economic and social aspects of fisheries ecology and the interplay between them. As well as covering 'classical' fisheries science, the book focuses on contemporary issues such as industrial fishing, poverty and conflict in fishing communities, marine reserves, the effects of fishing on coral reefs and by-catches of mammals, seabirds and reptiles. The book is primarily written for students of fisheries science and marine ecology, but should also appeal to practicing fisheries scientists and those interested in conservation and the impacts of humans on the marine environment. particularly useful are the modelling chapters which explain the difficult maths involved in a user-friendly manner describes fisheries exploitation, conservation and management in tropical, temperate and polar environments broad coverage of 'clasical' fisheries science emphasis on new approaches to fisheries science and the ecosystem effects of fishing examples based on the latest research and drawn from authors' international experience comprehensively referenced throughout extensively illustrated with photographs and line drawings

Although the ocean-and the resources within-seem limitless, there is clear evidence that human impacts such as overfishing, habitat destruction, and pollution disrupt marine ecosystems and threaten the long-term productivity of the seas. Declining yields in many fisheries and decay of treasured marine habitats, such as coral reefs, has heightened interest in establishing a comprehensive system of marine protected areas (MPAs)-areas designated for special protection to enhance the management of marine resources. Therefore, there is an urgent need to evaluate how MPAs can be employed in the United States and internationally as tools to support specific conservation needs of marine and coastal waters. Marine Protected Areas compares conventional management of marine resources with proposals to augment these management strategies with a system of protected areas. The volume argues that implementation of MPAs should be incremental and adaptive, through the design of areas not only to conserve resources, but also to help us learn how to manage marine species more effectively.

The Global Atlas of Marine Fisheries is the first and only book to provide accurate, country-by-country fishery catch data. This groundbreaking information has been gathered from independent sources by the world's foremost fisheries experts. Edited by Daniel Pauly and Dirk Zeller of the Sea Around Us Project, the Atlas includes one-page reports on 273 countries and their territories, plus fourteen topical global chapters. Each national report describes the current state of the country's fishery; the policies, politics, and social factors affecting it; and potential solutions. The global chapters address cross-cutting issues, from the economics of fisheries to the impacts of mariculture. Extensive maps and graphics offer attractive and accessible visual representations.

Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) is one of the most holistic approaches to protecting marine and coastal ecosystems as it recognizes the need to protect entire marine ecosystems instead of individual species. After decades of pollution, habitat degradation and overfishing, now climate change and ocean acidification threaten the health of the ocean in unprecedented way. Environmental Management of Marine Ecosystems illustrates the current status, trends, and effects of climate, natural disturbances and anthropogenic impacts on marine ecosystems. It demonstrates how to integrate different management tools and models in an up-to-date, multidisciplinary approach to environmental management. This indispensable guide provides several case studies from around the world and creates a framework for identifying management tools and their applications in coral reefs, fisheries, migratory species, marine islands and associated ecosystems such as mangroves and sea grass beds. It discusses the physical and chemical compositions of marine ecosystems along with the threats and actions needed to protect them. The application of model framework to several contemporary management issues include the modelling of harmful algal bloom dynamics, understanding the dispersal of sea lice, and the possible impacts on intertidal communities of the provision of novel offshore habitat. The results of extensive research by an international team of contributors, the Environmental Management of Marine Ecosystems is designed to inform scientists, practitioners, academics, government and non-government policymakers on the particularities of marine ecosystems and assist them in understanding the EBM approaches in means of mitigation and adaptation of human activities that result in sustainability. These practices will help change the current methodologies used for resource assessment and the future regulations of marine resources.