The ecosystem approach to fisheries management: an industry perspective.

Abstract

AbstractThe ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAFM) is not a new, radical way of managing fisheries. It is a clarification and expansion of the list of many things that fisheries management already takes into consideration while trying to regulate fishers and avoid overfishing. Unfortunately, the management of far too many fisheries around the world still does not even result in this most fundamental goal of avoiding overfishing and frequently results in the dissipation of the potential economic benefits that fisheries could produce-all before considering additional fine-tuning. The fishing industry is experiencing the same demands that other sectors of the food business are facing: constant calls for lower prices, better quality, safer foods, longer shelf life and foods that are more convenient to prepare. Impressively, by and large, the food industry has delivered on all of these counts. Consumers are now perceived as demanding fish products that come from well managed fishery resources that do not cause major disruptions to the ecosystem. Because customer perception is the reality of the marketplace, food retailers are complying with this new consumer demand and mainstreaming ecolabelled fish products, as part of various market-driven labels. Ecolabelling is becoming a vehicle for gaining an advantage in the marketplace. It is good business to be 'green'. Over recent decades, the fish processing sector of the industry has gone through a significant change in philosophy on how to respond to ever more demanding product safety and quality regimes. Largely, the successful approach has been to move away from centralized government controls towards making the industry responsible for implementing 'self control' systems that are verified and audited by governments. Such systems require well-specified objectives and ample record-keeping for industry to be able to prove due diligence. For the fishing industry, the framework provided by the ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAFM) is essentially yet another Quality System with which industry will have to comply. Indeed, many already call it the Environmental Management System (EMS). When EAFM/EMS are operational, they will require the collection of far more information regarding fishing activities than hitherto provided by fishermen. There will also be calls for transparency in presenting such information to the authorities and society at large in the form of 'social and environmental reporting'. Unfortunately, within 'Olympic' or 'Derby' fishery management regimes, where management measures already increase the costs of fishing by limiting seasons and gears, such additional and costly information gathering will be difficult to achieve. Fortunately, under management regimes where fishing rights are secure and foster long-term stewardship of the fishery ecosystem, fishermen will be able to realize the value of ecolabelled quality products as part of the good business of being green.