Using an EBFM lens to guide the management of marine biological resources under changing conditions

Abstract

AbstractThe management of natural resources is currently more challenging than ever before. Climate change and human population growth pose a threat to marine ecosystems as we know them. In order to preserve ecosystems, biodiversity and ecosystem services, management of biological resources must adopt a holistic strategy. Ecosystem‐Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) enables this by managing natural resources at the ecosystem level. However, EBFM objectives and implementation can be unclear at times, particularly when framed in the context of shifting conditions. In this research, the strategies available for managing marine biological resources within the EBFM framework and in a changing environment are reviewed. The purpose of this publication is to guide the decision on whether and how to change current management strategies in order to achieve policy goals. The manuscript starts with a revision of ecosystem indicators and ecosystem models used to detect and describe changes in ecosystem dynamics and stocks productivities under present and future conditions. Then, the different frameworks and methods available for integrating this information into the decision‐making process are summarised. Currently, some of the options available to include ecosystem realism into the fisheries advice include using ecosystem models in the Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) process, adjusting single species reference points with ecosystem information and implementing risk‐equivalent empirical approaches. However, barriers that are impeding the adoption of these techniques exist. I concluded the study by identifying them and providing literature‐based solutions to overcome them from an interdisciplinary perspective.