Please note that this event has been postponed and will be rescheduled soon.
(Washington, D.C.) – NOAA Fisheries and the American Fisheries Society (AFS) will host a congressional issue briefing at 1:00 p.m. on October 15, 2016, in the Cannon House Office Building (Room 421) addressing the Agency policy and draft roadmap on ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM), outlining six principles to guide Agency actions. The panel discussion will include two experts representing NOAA Fisheries and a regional council member sharing EBFM experience and perspectives.
“Our panel discussion will emphasize three primary issues: first, that we are moving towards a more systematic way of managing fisheries that takes into account more than just a single species; second, that NOAA Fisheries and the Fishery Management Councils are already implementing facets of EBFM, particularly via fishery ecosystem plans; and finally, that ecosystem-based fisheries management taps into a broad range of disciplines and includes social, economic, biological, and environmental data,” said AFS Policy Director Tom Bigford.
Two case studies to be highlighted during the briefing include:
- 1: Shifting Distributions – The MAFMC is wrestling with species that are rapidly changing their distribution and moving within Council jurisdiction (e.g., blueline tilefish, black sea bass, and/or squid, mackerel, butterfish).
- 2: Ecosystem Indicators – NOAA Fisheries Scientist for the Alaskan Fisheries Science Center will discuss how ecosystem indicators are used to summarize the current state of our marine ecosystems to provide context for decision-making managers.
This briefing follows release of a NOAA Fisheries policy earlier this year and a draft road map ( see http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/ecosystems/ebfm/creating-an-ebfm-management-policy ) released in August outlining how NOAA Fisheries will use the policy to implement ecosystem-based fishery management throughout the Agency. The road map is open for comment through October 15, 2016.