Incorporating Ecosystem Objectives into Fisheries Management including: ‘best practice’ reference points and use of Marine Protected Areas Keith Sainsbury CSIRO Australia Ussif Rashid Sumalia UBC Canada CMI Norway

Incorporating Ecosystem Related Objectives Into Management for Sustainable Fisheries What are these “ecosystem related objectives” The challenge Some ways forward

Some Ecosystem Related Objectives From International Agreements Manage resources sustainably for human nutritional, economic and social goals (LOSC and UNCED) Protect rare or fragile ecosystems, habitats and species (UNCED) Conserve genetic, species and ecosystem biodiversity (CBD) Preventative, precautionary and anticipatory planning and implementation (UNCED) Protect and maintain the relationships and dependencies between species (UNCED) UNCED=UN Convention on the Environment and Development (1992) LOSC=UN Law of the Sea Convention (1982) CBD= Convention on Biological Diversity (1992)

The Challenge: Bridging the Gap Between “High Level” Objectives and Operational Management Operational questions: What specific outcomes are intended? What are the targets, limits and levels of acceptable change? How will a given management action help or hinder the intent? How would success or failure be measured and detected? How can precaution and balance be achieved across objectives that span use and conservation of complex ecosystems?

Steps Forward - Bridging the Gap Achieving sustainability is not easy, even for target species let alone ecosystems But we know enough to make a very good start: 1. Report performance and assess management strategies for the system as a whole 2. Use reference points that incorporate uncertainty and ecosystem considerations 3. Make better use of inherently precautionary management measures such as protected areas

1. Performance Reporting and Assessment for the Management System as a Whole Establish the hierarchy between high level and operational objectives High level objectives need operational objectives Operational objectives need indicators and reference points Indicators and reference points give performance measures

Performance Reporting for the Management System as a Whole: a practical application An approach to reporting Sustainable Development for Australian fisheries - similar approach elsewhere Identify components for high level objectives Develop ‘component tree’ linking high level objectives to operational objectives - via as many sub-components needed

Example ‘component tree’ linking high level to operational objectives Risk assessment to identify and weight important branches Report for each terminal - objectives - performance measures - monitoring - management response Transparent, simple & flexible reporting framework

Assessment of the Management System as a Whole The ‘component tree’ identifies the important issues and - targets, monitoring, and proposed management response Taken as a whole - are they likely to achieve the objectives within and across branches? What management strategies can be expected to achieve the operational objectives? - balance of outcomes - risks and precaution

Scientific Evaluation of Feedback Management Strategies Methods for evaluation have been developed: Adaptive management methods (Walters, Hilborn and others) Management procedure methods (IWC, Butterworth and others) Management strategy evaluation

Simulation Testing of Operational Management Strategies A Management Strategy contains: Performance measures Monitoring Analysis method Decision rules Feedback for “detection and correction” Implementation

Management Strategy Evaluation - Experience Many applications: Fishery target species management - reference points, monitoring, decision rules Maintaining food-chain dependencies (eg CCAMLR) Setting by-catch limits (eg Potential Biological Removals) Maintaining habitats and fish community composition (eg Australian NW Shelf and GB Reef) Understanding robustness, risk, precaution, trade-offs

2. Use Reference Points that Incorporate Uncertainty and Ecosystem Considerations Appropriate reference points depend on the management system as a whole But there is an emerging ‘best practice’ Incomplete but developing - mainly at species level and accounting for some ecological processes - weak for ecosystem properties (habitats, biodiversity, food-webs, community structure) - no guarantee they are necessary or sufficient for ecological sustainability A credible starting point - practical and useable now

Some Emerging ‘Best Practice’ Reference Points for Ecologically Sustainable Fisheries

Some Emerging ‘Best Practice’ Reference Points for Ecologically Sustainable Fisheries

3. Use of Inherently Precautionary Management Measures Such as Marine Protected Areas What is an MPA? An area managed to protect and maintain biological diversity, and natural and associated cultural resources (IUCN 1994) Categories of MPA range from: Reserve or sanctuary - minimal impacts and no extractive use Habitat/species protected area - manage to protect specific values Resource Protected Area - managed for sustainable resource use What can MPAs achieve in theory? Reference site for comparison Preservation and restoration

Reserve Fishing Grounds Spillover Larval Export Stability Enhancement Immediate Short-term Medium - Long-term Number and density increase ‘Natural’ age/size structures re-established Spillover Larval Export Reduced loss of genetic information Fishing mortality eliminated Individuals live longer Reproductive output increases Recruitment enhanced Spawning habitat condition improves Community Structure Biomass & spawning biomass increase Mean age and size increase Reserve Stability Enhancement Fishing Grounds Habitat damage stopped Biodiversity increases Ecological function enhanced Communities stabilize Habitat complexity increase Higher trophic structure rebuilds Population Structure Population Abundance

What Have MPAs Achieved in Practice? Often demonstrated Increased abundance, size and density of species Sometimes demonstrated Increased fecundity and reproductive capacity Increased species richness and genetic diversity Increased fishery yield in surrounding area Economic benefits to fishery and other uses But effects poorly known because Weak baseline data Reserves small and/or recent Little performance evaluation for most MPAs

How Can We Enhance MPA Success? Apply design methods that are available - including uncertainty - area, location, shape of MPAs - networks of MPAs Identify operational objectives and management strategy - evaluate and establish monitoring and performance assessment Meet critical information needs - what is where, and what interconnections - scale and location of major seafloor habitat types - new technologies can help

Incorporating Ecosystem Related Objectives Into Fisheries Management: Conclusions There are existing methods and approaches that can be applied now: 1. Use transparent and ‘whole system’ approach to - link high level and operational objectives - demonstrate basis of prioritisations - structure performance reporting 2. Assess and design management strategies for - robustness and precaution - adequacy of monitoring and planned ‘detection- correction’ response

Incorporating Ecosystem Related Objectives Into Management for Sustainable Fisheries: Conclusions 3. Use emerging ‘best practice’ reference points 4. Improve design and use of marine protected areas - precaution and preservation - monitoring and performance assessment - use as reference sites Continuous improvements will be made but we have the basis for a credible and major first step