Ecosystem Approach To Fisheries Research Articles

Ecosystem-based fisheries risk assessment and forecasting considering a spatio-temporal component in Korean waters

Integrated fisheries risk analysis method for ecosystems (IFRAME) was originally developed to accomplish the goals of an ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) to overcome the limitations of the single-species approach. This approach performs ecosystem-based fisheries assessment, forecasting, and management. However, this IFRAME approach does not explain spatial variations in ecosystem components. Although this approach has a number of advantages in mitigating the risks associated with developing macroscopic management measures, its limitation is apparent when microscopic management measures that reflect the spatial features of the species or the fisheries within the ecosystem are required. In this study, the IFRAME was extended to assess and forecast ecosystem dynamics and risk indices in a spatio-temporal context. The distribution of biomass and changes in risk of chub mackerel were predicted using the extended IFRAME, based on scenarios considering changes in climate and variations in fishing mortality. A total of 87% of chub mackerel resources were distributed in the East China Sea in 2019, but they are expected to rise northward due to the rise of the average sea surface water temperature (SST) as per the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 IPCC scenarios. Based on these scenarios, a major fishing ground was predicted to form around the Yellow Sea in 2069. The species risk index (SRI) of mackerel in 2069 showed relatively low in the East and Yellow Seas, but as climate change continues, the risks in the East China Sea increased. The forecasting results can be used in the management component of IFRAME to assess alternative harvest strategies and tactics in the rapidly changing marine ecosystems. Since food web relationships and water temperature scenarios were only considered as input data for the Ecospace module used in the prediction of mackerel biomass distribution, more quantitative spatial information should be incorporated in the analysis to better explain the complex nature of the marine ecosystems. In conclusion, based on the spatio-temporal IFRAME approach, it could be possible to establish a proper fisheries management plan by incorporating spatial variations in the ecosystem for sustainable fisheries.

OECMs in marine capture fisheries: Key implementation issues of governance, management, and biodiversity

The ‘Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measure’ (OECM) concept was first introduced in 2010, by the Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP) in the CBD Strategic Plan for Biodiversity conservation 2011–2020. The concept acknowledged that a range of spatial measures other than protected areas were appropriate for reaching Aichi Target 11 spatial conservation coverage. The OECM definition was adopted in 2018 in CBD COP Decision 14/8, which calls on States to mainstream OECMs into economic sectors, to recognize the current biodiversity conservation benefits and co-benefits from their area-based management measures and enhance them as much as possible. In the marine capture fisheries sector, the identification of OECMs is a work in progress and the issues addressed in this paper are key implementation issues that States and fisheries authorities are or will be encountering regarding their governance, management, and biodiversity outcomes. The purpose of the paper is to draw attention to some key OECM implementation issues arising in marine capture fisheries and to suggest possible approaches to address them. The governance issues addressed relate to enabling frameworks, industrial fisheries, legitimate authorities, long-term commitments, cross-sectoral coordination and planning, and contribution to the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework of the CBD. The management issues considered relate to effectiveness in achieving expected outcomes, costs and benefits of OECMs, spatial relations between OECMs and fisheries, and the role of OECMs in the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF). Regarding the significant positive biodiversity outcomes expected from OECMs, issues relate to the type of outcomes expected, their current or intended nature, the level of evidence required, and their relationship to area-based conservation standards.

The Practice of Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries on the High Seas: Challenges and Suggestions

Since the 1990s, the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) has developed rapidly and become an important method of high seas fishery management. The EAF has already been practiced by many Regional Fisheries Management Organizations. The practice of the approach in the management of high seas fisheries faces numerous challenges, such as constraints by the approach, increasing stakeholders affecting the implementation of the EAF, inconsistency with political ocean boundaries, resistance from vested interests, and the threat of Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated fishing. In order to deal with the dilemma faced by EAF, ideas are proposed as follows, building a sense of maritime community with a shared future, advancing the approach by explicating definition, objectives, and priorities, strengthening coordination and cooperation between the states and regional fisheries organizations, adopting area-based management tools with biogeographical criteria, and enhancing the level of stakeholders’ participation.

Scenario-Based Approaches to Change Management in Fisheries Can Address Challenges With Scale and Support the Implementation of an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management

The Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) management, recognising complexity, aims for the holistic, sustainable management of fisheries to promote healthy marine ecosystems and sustainable livelihoods. Effective implementation of the EAF has been problematic as we continue to grapple with issues of scale, knowledge integration and meaningful stakeholder engagement. Scenario-planning approaches in marine social ecological systems (SES) can address some of these challenges. Using systems-thinking, scenario-planning presents the opportunity to address challenges simultaneously at different scales of interaction by addressing the needs at smaller and larger decision-making scales. We here present a prototype scenario-based approach in which we used structured decision-making tools (SDMTs) in an iterative and interactive research process with marginalised stakeholders in a small-scale fishery in South Africa’s southern Cape. Using this approach presented an opportunity for fishers to consider pathways for future responses to change while enhancing personal and local adaptive capacity. At the same time, these marginalised fishers were provided with an important opportunity to freely air their views while engaging with tools new to them. The process did not only benefit fishers, but also provided valuable insights into how they view and experience their marine SES. The use of these tools has provided a means to integrate different knowledge streams, identifying ways in which challenges presented by scale in SES is better addressed. As a next step in the prototype development, expansion to more diverse stakeholders in the biogeographical region relevant for this fishery is recommended. We highlight how this approach can contribute to multi-level governance. When considering EAF implementation, we highlight how engaging marginalised stakeholders need not mean losing the reproducible, transparent processes required for modern management. Lastly, we discuss how multi-scalar flow of information could improve the implementation of an EAF in a developing society, such as that of South Africa.

Public Officials’ Knowledge of Advances and Gaps for Implementing the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries in Chile

The United Nations calls on the international community to implement an ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) that considers the complex interrelationships between fisheries and marine and coastal ecosystems, including social and economic dimensions. However, countries experience significant national challenges for the application of the EAF. In this article, we used public officials’ knowledge to understand advances, gaps, and priorities for the implementation of the EAF in Chile. For this, we relied on the valuable information held by fisheries managers and government officials to support decision-making. In Chile, the EAF was established as a mandatory requirement for fisheries management in 2013. Key positive aspects include the promotion of fishers’ participation in inter-sectorial Management Committees to administrate fisheries and the regulation of bycatch and trawling on seamounts. Likewise, Scientific Committees formal roles in management allow the participation of scientists by setting catch limits for each fishery. However, important gaps were also identified. Officials highlighted serious difficulties to integrate social dimensions in fisheries management, and low effective coordination among the institutions to implement the EAF. We concluded that establishing clear protocols to systematize and generate formal instances to build upon government officials’ knowledge seems a clear and cost effective way to advance in the effective implementation of the EAF.

The hits and misses of Namibia’s attempt to implement the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) Management

ABSTRACT Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) management is a concept aimed at the conservation and sustainable use of the entire ecosystem. While EAF is a noble approach, its implementation has been challenging. Although Namibia has committed to the implementation of EAF, only limited assessment has been done of Namibian fisheries management processes and instruments concerning EAF. A qualitative assesment was done to ascertain if the Namibian fisheries management processes and instruments conform to the EAF principles. Namibian fisheries management processes and instruments largely conform to the EAF principles, although there are notable areas needing improvements. The conformities were pronounced in the total allowable catch setting, rebuilding depleted stocks, minimizing bycatch, and fishing impact minimization. The polluter pays, and user pays principles were also applied. Areas that were found lacking in this study included setting the indicators for EAF and ecosystem integrity. The assessment also noted the absence of guidelines for the precautionary approach principle and a transparent policy for quota and right allocation processes. The strategies for managing transboundary fish species are also not formulated. Overall, this assessment showed the complexities and challenges that Namibia and other countries need to overcome to implement EAF successfully.

Fisheries yields, climate change, and ecosystem-based management of the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem

Fisheries resources of the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) are critically important to the socio-economic well-being of the people of Angola, Namibia and South Africa. Their high degree of environmental vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining a healthy ecosystem by increasing its resilience to the impacts of anthropogenic and natural forcing. Conflicting objectives in fisheries management processes between the biological sustainability of the stocks and socio-economic gains of the fishers and the economy in general, are some of the challenges facing the BCLME. In this paper, an overview and description of the fisheries yields from major resources of the BCLME is provided, using time series catch data, with discussions on how these are affected by climate variability and/or change. Data were sourced from previous syntheses, reports on the state of fisheries resources, and various national databases. Results indicate that, although major fisheries yields in the BCLME are currently much lower than their historical past, catches have in general been stable during the past two decades. Currently, there appears to be no clear evidence of the impacts of climate change on the fisheries resources in the BCLME, although some changes have been observed, but such impacts may be masked by highly variable and complex nature of this LME. However, through the Benguela Current Convention (BCC), the three coastal states are focused on ensuring that the shared commercially important fish stocks are jointly monitored, assessed and managed, through the implementation of adaptive fisheries management plans for priority shared fish resources based on ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) principles.

Assessing the Brazilian federal fisheries law and policy in light of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale fisheries

The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries (SSF Guidelines) endorsed in June 2014 by the member States of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) was a landmark for the recognition, promotion and protection of the subsistence and artisanal small-scale fisheries (SSF) sector in the world. This instrument is part of contemporary International Fisheries Law, integrating management and development of fisheries with a range of other relevant matters such as human rights, gender and climate change, following a human rights-based approach (HRBA) and taking into account the ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF). In this context and with a view to contribute to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this article provides an analysis of the SSF Guidelines and informs on how its’ implementation can be supported by the Brazilian Federal Law No. 11,959/2009, which provides for the National Policy for the Sustainable Development of Aquaculture and Fisheries in Brazil. It is seen that certain issues of the SSF Guidelines are better addressed in other federal legal instruments, which should be read, interpreted and applied in combination with that legislation. This analysis aimed at assisting legal practitioners and policy-makers in the implementation of the SSF Guidelines in Brazil.

The Ecosystem Approach as a Frame for SDG 14 Implementation

The ecosystem approach as defined by the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) Conference of the Parties (COP) can provide a comprehensive strategy and framework for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 on the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. This article argues that by applying the ecosystem approach (EA), States, competent organizations, and other relevant actors would have the opportunity to place the health of the oceans in the centre of environmental conservation and sustainable development, overcoming a silos approach towards SDGS integration, and as a means for mainstreaming (the conservation and sustainable use of) biodiversity into the implementation of the SDGS. In doing so, this article will (i) recall the often neglected principles of the CBD ecosystem approach, as well as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF), (ii) discuss the alignment between SDG 14 and the ecosystem approach, and (iii) explore ways for mainstreaming biodiversity into a select number of SDG 14 targets (SDG 14.1-14.5) before providing concluding remarks on the role of the ecosystem approach as an integrative principle for coherent oceans governance in the context of the SDG 14.

An ecosystem based approach to the assessment and governance of the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem

The Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem (BOBLME) is one of the largest and most important globally. In recent years Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand have come together to build consensus around a Strategic Action Programme (SAP) with the support of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) International Waters, Norway, Sweden and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). The Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) process identified a number of key issues including overexploitation of marine living resources, degradation of critical habitats and pollution and water quality. The TDA process identified several key drivers which contribute to these issues. These include socio-economic drivers, institutional, legal and administrative drivers and climate change. The agreed SAP identified four key objectives including that fisheries and other marine living resources are restored and managed sustainably; degraded, vulnerable and critical marine habitats are restored, conserved and maintained; coastal and marine pollution and water quality are controlled to meet agreed standards for human and ecosystem health; and social and economic constraints are addressed, which should lead to increased resilience and empowerment of coastal people. Analysis of the BOBLME SAP shows that just over 70% of the identified activities are being undertaken to some extent by countries already. SAP implementation recognises the importance of approaches such as the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF), Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) and the focus on Small Scale Fisheries. Whilst BOBLME countries vary considerably in their governance arrangements and capacity to implement, they recognise the importance of regional coordination and cooperation to address transboundary issues.

The Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization Roadmap for the development and implementation of an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries: structure, state of development, and challenges

The Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Roadmap is the general framework aimed toward implementing an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) in NAFO. The core principles are: a) the approach has to be objective-driven, b) it should consider long-term ecosystem sustainability, c) it must be place-based, and d) the consequences of trade-offs in managing human activities have to be explicitly defined. The Roadmap is not a fixed plan; it evolves as different components are developed, refined, and implemented. Core elements of the Roadmap include the identification of ecosystem-based management units, a hierarchical approach to define exploitation rates by considering ecosystem, multispecies, and stock level sustainability, and the integration of impacts on benthic communities. The modular design of the plan has allowed NAFO to start implementing some components (e.g. closures to bottom fishing for the protection of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems), while work on others is still ongoing (e.g. multispecies modelling). Even though the Roadmap is far from being fully implemented, NAFO has made important progress towards EAF over the last decade. This paper summarizes the Roadmap structure and the current level of implementation, describes some of the challenges faced, and examines those still ahead.

A matter of scales: Does the management of marine recreational fisheries follow the ecosystem approach to fisheries in Europe?

European policy-makers are increasingly aware of the ecological and socioeconomic relevance of marine recreational fisheries (MRF), but there are still gaps in the information needed to achieve sustainable management. How is the current management of European MRF performed? Is it promoting the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF)? The management of MRF in Europe was reviewed by analyzing how different European regulations align with the EAF in different geographic and administrative scales. Text mining tools were used to identify key concepts and analyze the text of legal regulations on MRF in the European Union (EU), Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom (UK). Also, the Ecosystem Fisheries Legal Assessment (EFLA) framework was used to assess the alignment of the regulations with the EAF. The number of regulations about MRF in Spain and Portugal is higher than in the UK and the EU, probably because the relative higher importance of regional regulations in Spain and Portugal, and the limitations imposed to recreational fishers in marine protected areas (MPAs). The lack of specific regulations on MRF in the EU, and open-access in the UK for recreational fishers, except for Atlantic salmon Salmo salar, explain their lower number of regulations. The EFLA framework showed that the European public policies on MRF follow the EAF principles. Enough attention is payed to ecological components, but socio-economic sustainability could be improved. However, policy efficiency could be lower than expected because potential institutional misfits derived from the eventual confluence of different spatial scales.

Operationalizing an ecosystem approach to small-scale fisheries in developing countries: The case of Uruguay

Small-scale fisheries (SSFs) constitute a critical socioeconomic sector by providing a source of income and animal protein for fishing communities worldwide. In Uruguay this sector has traditionally been neglected. More recently, the Uruguayan government has shown an increasing interest in readdressing this situation by setting a high-level policy for SSFs. This paper addresses the long-term process from conceptualization to operationalization of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) in Uruguayan SSFs. An overview of the social-ecological enabling conditions that facilitated EAF operationalization across four pilot sites is also provided. Long-term results showed that the intrinsic characteristics of each fishery conditioned the goals achieved. Fishery systems with more favorable enabling conditions served as starting points for operationalizing an EAF strategy. By contrast, SSFs with historical conflicts of use and a complex relationship between the fisheries management agency and fishing communities are still challenging. These results were used as learning platforms to strength and enhance the normative framework regarding management of SSFs. Progresses in EAF implementation at pilot sites have provided initial building blocks for scaling practices to other Uruguayan SSFs. The translation of processes and results into the long-term fishery policy allowed establishing an appropriate legal basis for further EAF development at a national level. Despite the above, long-term political will is critical for sustaining responsible fishing practices and the involvement of fishers as stewardships of their own activity.

A knowledge platform to inform on the effects of trawling on benthic communities

For a successful implementation of an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) management, it is necessary that all stakeholders involved in fisheries management are aware of the implications of fishing impacts on ecosystems and agree with the adopted measures to mitigate these impacts. In this context, there is a need for tools to share knowledge on the ecosystem effects of fisheries among these stakeholders. When managing bottom trawl fisheries under an EAF framework, one of the main concerns is the direct and indirect consequences of trawling impacts on benthic ecosystems. We developed a platform using the ExtendSim® software with a user-friendly interface that combines a simulation model based on existing knowledge, data collection and representation of predicted trawling impacts on the seabed. The platform aims to be a deliberation support tool for fisheries’ stakeholders and, simultaneously, raise public awareness of the need for good benthic community knowledge to appropriately inform EAF management plans. The simulation procedure assumes that trawling affects benthic communities with an intensity that depends on the level of fishing effort exerted on benthic communities and on the habitat characteristics (i.e. sediment grain size). Data to build the simulation comes from epifaunal samples from 18 study sites located in Mediterranean continental shelves subjected to different levels of fishing effort. In this work, we present the simulation outputs of a 50% fishing effort increase (and decrease) in four of the study sites which cover different habitats and different levels of fishing effort. We discuss the platform strengths and weaknesses and potential future developments.

A continuous involvement of stakeholders promotes the ecosystem approach to fisheries in the 8-fjords area on the Swedish west coast

The coastal marine environment in the 8-fjords area on the Swedish west coast has been subjected to various stakeholder co-management initiatives since 1999. Stakeholders and authorities have acted by supporting and implementing gradually stricter fishing restrictions following the collapse in the 1970s of several demersal fish stocks and their apparent lack of recovery. Moreover, concerns have been raised regarding a locally sharp depletion of eelgrass meadows, in addition to an apparent increase in the number of seals and cormorants. The present 8-fjords initiative applies a cross-sector approach to environmental management and thus also addresses various types of environmental pollution. This study has compared the environmental work around the 8-fjords to 15 principles regarding the ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF). The main strength that has been identified among the EAF principles is the continuous involvement of stakeholders. Among weaknesses in the EAF is the scarcity of suitable indicators that are necessary for appropriate monitoring, especially biomasses of functional groups as well as economic and social indicators. Many environmental problems in the fjords remain and it is possible that improved adherence to EAF principles will facilitate solving some problems and alleviating others. Moreover, the application of the EAF in practice in the 8-fjords can serve as a guiding example for co-managing other aquatic ecosystems towards ecological, economic, and social sustainability. The experiences from the 8-fjords initiative, including its extensive stakeholder involvement, may serve as a practical EAF example to be studied by researchers and managers globally.

Assessment of a fisheries legal framework for potential development of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management in large rivers

AbstractMost small‐scale fisheries of large floodplain rivers are still managed under conventional top‐down regulations that limit the application of an ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) due to inappropriate legal frameworks. Using the Parana–Paraguay River fisheries (Argentina) as an example, this study examines the extent to which existing provincial legislations can be prepared for the adoption of an EAF. An Ecosystem Fishing Legal Approach (EFLA) framework is proposed based on different criteria across an environmental–ecological, fishing, social, economic and institutional template. Policy Component Scores (PCS) and an Integrated Policy Legal Index (IPLI) were applied to assess the degree of compliance by current provincial legislations to EAF implementation. Cluster analysis was used to recognise the potential for articulating a legal framework at a basin scale. The EFLA framework, which provided an accurate picture of how provinces were poorly prepared to adopt an EAF for the Paraguay–Parana fisheries, and represents a suitable tool that can be adapted and extended to other basins around the world.

Balanced harvest: utopia, failure, or a functional strategy?

AbstractSince “balanced harvest” was proposed in 2010 as a possible tool in the operationalization of the ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF), the concept gained extensive international attention. Because maintaining ecosystem structure and achieving maximum sustainable yields have become two of the key international legal obligations in fisheries management, balanced harvest is as topical as ever. An international workshop on balanced harvest, organized by the IUCN Fisheries Expert Group at FAO headquarters in 2014, reviewed the progress in the field and discussed its prospects and challenges. Several articles in this theme set, mostly based on presentations from the workshop, discuss ecological, economical, legal, social, and operational issues surrounding the key management goals. Progress is being made on understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of balanced harvest and its practical feasibility. Yet, a basic debate on the concept of balanced harvest continues. To move the EAF forward, we anticipate and encourage further research and discussion on balanced harvest and similar ideas.

An ecosystem approach to small-scale fisheries through participatory diagnosis in four tropical countries

Participatory diagnosis is an approach to identify, prioritize and mobilise around factors that constrain or enable effective governance and management in small-scale fisheries. Diagnostic frameworks are mostly designed and used for systematic scientific analysis or impact evaluation. Through participation they also have potential to guide contextually informed improvements to management in practice, including transitions to contemporary forms of governance like the ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF)—the focus of our study. We document and critically reflect on participatory diagnosis processes and outcomes at sites in Indonesia, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Tanzania. These sites were part of an international project on the implementation of the EAF and differed widely in institutional and operational contexts. The Participatory Diagnosis and Adaptive Management framework and the “issue radar” diagnosis map were used to identify, evaluate and address factors associated with navigating management transitions towards the EAF. We found that many challenges and priority actions identified by participants were similar across the four study countries. Participants emphasized habitat restoration, particularly mangrove rehabilitation, and livelihood enhancement. The importance of strengthening governance entities, networks and processes (e.g., harmonization of policies, education and awareness of policies) was also a prominent outcome of the diagnosis. Site-specific factors were also explored together with the differing views among stakeholders. We conclude that diagnosis frameworks are indeed useful tools for guiding management transitions in fisheries, particularly where they enable flexibility in approaches to diagnosing problems and applying solutions to local contexts.

An ecosystem approach to small-scale co-managed fisheries: The yellow clam fishery in Uruguay

The Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) has been proposed as a holistic approach for managing fisheries. Although EAF is a widely accepted concept, many challenges remain in its practical implementation, particularly in small-scale fisheries (SSFs) in developing countries. Long-term evaluations of EAF performance in SSFs are scarce and even fewer when considering co-management (Co-M) as the institutionalized governance mode implemented under an EAF scheme (EAF/Co-M). This paper addresses the implementation, development process and performance of an EAF/Co-M in the yellow clam SSF of Uruguay through multiple fishery indicators for the period 2007–2015. EAF/Co-M showed a highly positive response in abundance and biomass of the harvestable stock through time, stabilization in individual sizes above the minimum landing size limit, and a fairly constant exploitation rate at low levels that did not exceed 25%, accompanied by relatively constant CPUE values through time. Temporal variations in unit price and revenues per unit of effort showed higher values after EAF/Co-M implementation. These indicators, taken together, suggest that the enhanced production capacity of the fishery during the EAF/Co-M implementation did not have a negative impact on the stock. The number of fishers involved in the activity has not changed markedly through time, but two remarkable positive changes occurred in the composition of the group: (i) an increasing number of licenses allocated twice in a row through time, which suggests the consolidation of a stable group of fishers; and (ii) a significant increase in the number of women directly involved in the fishing activity. This study provides solid empirical evidences to the idea that EAF, coupled with Co-M as a formal governance mode, could be helpful to address management tasks and to improve social–ecological conditions of SSFs.

NansClim – climate effects on biodiversity, abundance and distribution of marine organisms

Human interference with the climate system is occurring, and climate change poses risks for human and natural systems (IPCC, 2014). In recent decades, changes in climate have caused impacts on natural and human systems on all continents and across the oceans. Evidence of climate-change impacts is strongest and most comprehensive for natural systems. Due to climate change projected by the mid 21st century and beyond, global marine-species redistribution and marine-biodiversity reduction in sensitive regions will challenge the sustained provision of fisheries productivity and other ecosystem services (IPCC, 2014). Spatial shifts of marine species due to projected warming will cause high-latitude invasions and high local-extinction rates in the tropics and semi-enclosed seas. Species richness and fisheries catch potential are projected to increase, on average, at mid and high latitudes and decrease at tropical latitudes (IPCC, 2014). The Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) is one of four Eastern Boundary Upwelling Ecosystems (EBUE), highly productive marine subregions. Although they comprise <2% of the global ocean area, they contribute nearly 7% of marine primary production and more than 20% of the world’s marine capture fisheries (IPCC, 2014). Catches in the EBUE are dominated by planktivorous species such as sardine, anchovy, and horse/jack mackerel, and piscivorous demersal species such as hake. Upwelling of nutrient-rich water stimulates primary production which is transferred to mid and upper trophic levels, resulting in substantial fish, seabird, and marine mammal populations. As a result, EBUEs are considered ‘hotspots’ of productivity and biodiversity. Previous research on the BCLME has had little emphasis on climate change. As with the other EBUEs, strong inter-annual and inter-decadal variability in physical oceanography makes it challenging to detect biophysical trends attributed to climate change. Nevertheless, the physical conditions of the BCLME are highly sensitive to climate variability over a range of scales. Despite its apparent sensitivity to environmental variability, there is limited evidence of ecological changes in the BCLME caused by climate change (IPCC, 2014). For example, pelagic fish, benthic crustaceans, and seabirds have demonstrated general shifts in distribution (IPCC, 2014). Even though much of the evidence on the recent climate change comes from remote sensing and outputs from coupled atmosphere-ocean models, it is necessary to link the global trends with local observations to detect the effects of this change on marine living resources in a regional context. In the BCLME region, the combined oceanographic and biodiversity database collected through the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) Nansen Programme is potentially a major source of local data covering climate change and its effect on marine resources in the last 30 yr. However, its contributions to the understanding of climate change effects on the BCLME are rather limited so far, since the huge amount of data collected under the programme has not been fully utilised. Based on data collected through the EAF Nansen programme, together with other relevant data, the NansClim project (2009–2014) was established to identify and describe possible trends and variability in ocean climate and corresponding changes in marine biodiversity and fisheries in the Benguela Current System. Observations of effects of climate variability on marine biota in the past, based on the Nansen database in combination with other data series available from the region, allowed NansClim to document some general responses concerning production and distribution of marine biota to set a baseline of observed effects of climate variability. Some of the species in the region are more poorly studied than others, and one of the tasks of the project was therefore to characterize the life cycle of such species which may be important indicators of future climate change.