Transcript Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Ecosystem

Ecosystem Management Workshops
Michael Jepson, Ph.D.
Facilitator
Workshop Overview
• Review of Ecosystems Management Approach
• Gulf Council Ecosystem Plan Approach
• Discussion of Stakeholder Concerns
• Review Stakeholder Comments and Consensus
Why Ecosystems Management?
• Over half of the U.S. population lives on the coast
• Human activities on land, along the coast and in the
ocean are affecting marine ecosystems by
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altering marine food web
changing the climate
damaging habitat
eroding coastlines
introducing invasive species
and polluting coastal waters
Why Ecosystems Management?
• NOAA has reorganized to better position itself to
work under an ecosystem approach.
• In FY04, Congress allocated $2 million for NOAAFisheries to conduct ecosystem management pilot
projects in four regions:
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New England
Mid-Atlantic
South Atlantic
Gulf of Mexico
Development of the Generic Essential
Fish Habitat Amendment (1998)
• Linkages between different habitats and life
cycles
• Relationships between terrestrial and marine
habitats
• Species interactions
What is the definition of an ecosystem
approach to management?
• NOAA defines an ecosystem approach to
management as one that is:
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Adaptive
Regionally directed
Takes account of ecosystem knowledge
Takes account of uncertainty
Considers multiple external influences
Strives to balance diverse societal objectives
What is an Ecosystem
• An ecosystem is a geographically specified system of
organisms (including humans), the environment, and
the processes that control its dynamics.
– Humans are an integral part of marine and terrestrial
ecosystems
– Ecosystems come in many sizes, often with smaller
systems embedded within larger ones.
What is different?
• Ecosystem approach to management considers the
cumulative impacts of different sectors and differs
from current approaches that usually focus on a
single species, sector, activity or concern
• Present species oriented management incorporates
many aspects of ecosystem management, but not
always in the same context
• Ecosystems approach to management will not
replace current management, but will supplement and
enhance it
Issues of Importance to the Gulf
• Bycatch or Fishery Interactions
– Bycatch and fishery interactions including mortalities of non-target
species when multiple fisheries encounter the same species.
• Indirect Effects of Harvesting
– Indirect effects of harvesting through trophic interactions, and indirect
effects through habitat-alteration, e.g. by fishing gear.
• Interactions between Biological, Physical and
Human Components of Ecosystems
– Trends in environmental variables (e.g. temperature, other
oceanographic attributes) may result in long-term changes of
ecosystems
Fishery Issues in the Gulf
• Shrimp trawls Red Snapper Vermilion Snapper
• LNG Terminals  Estuarine dependent species
• Shallow-water grouper  Deep-water grouper
• Offshore Aquaculture
Fishery Issues in the Gulf
Environmental Events in the Gulf
• Tropical storm/Hurricane effects
• Red tide effects
• Hypoxic (Dead) Zone effects
Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Zone
Gulf Council Ecosystem Plan
Approach
• Step 1: Collect information
– Task 1: Public Meetings with Stakeholder Groups
– Task 2: Attitudes/Values Survey
– Task 3: Identification of Technical Needs and
Inventory of Existing Information
– Task 4: Synthesis of Public Input on Ecosystem
Goals and Objectives
• Step 2: Develop Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP)
• Step 3: Modify Species Oriented Approach to
incorporate the components of the FEP
Topic Areas for Workshops
• (1) Adequacy of current approaches for addressing ecosystem
considerations
• (2) Nature of ecosystem-based management and the goals to
be achieved in addressing ecosystem issues
• (3) Nature of the public decision making processes for
addressing management tradeoffs, consistent with identified
goals
• (4) Mechanisms for considering activities outside the Gulf
Council’s purview
• (5) Boundaries of sub-regional ecosystems within the Gulf of
Mexico
Topic Areas for Workshops
• (6) Types of management measures that would be incorporated
into ecosystem approaches for fishery management, consistent
with the identified goals
• (7) Specific regional issues that need to be addressed in a FEP
• (8) Techniques for determining success of ecosystem-based
management
• (9) Other issues considered important to the stakeholders in
any particular region.