Benthic Habitats and the Effects of Fishing

Moderated Panel and Open Discussion

doi: https://doi.org/10.47886/9781888569605.ch161

The following is a transcript of the last session of the symposium; “What next? (after the symposium) What have we learned? What more do we need to know? What should we act on right now?” The goal of this session was to summarize, to obtain broad input on what needed to be done to address individual aspects of “Effects of Fishing on Benthic Habitat” issues. The panel members, known for their expertise, represented the areas of fishery management, the fishing industry, environmental conservation, and marine and benthic habitat science. Following initial panel discussions of the questions above, the audience was invited to participate with comments and in raising additional issues of concern. The speakers were allowed to edit their remarks for clarity and correctness. The resulting document was reviewed by the moderator. The resulting report that follows reflects both the tone and the serious content of the discussion.