Implementing ecosystem-based management of fisheries in the context of US regional fisheries management: Recommendations of the NMFS ecosystem principles advisory panel

The Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996 requires the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to convene an expert panel to assess the current application of ecosystem principles in U.S. fisheries conservation, management, and research and to make recommendations for increasing their application. The panel identified eight ecosystem principles and six associated policies for ecosystem-based fisheries management, with the goal of maintaining ecosystem health and sustainability. These principles, policies, and goals were used to evaluate current fisheries management practices in the United States. The panel concluded that there are some encouraging examples of ecosystem approaches, but they are limited in scope and not comprehensive. Similarly, U.S. fisheries research tends to parallel traditional single-species fisheries management, although notable ecosystem research is being conducted. To increase the application of ecosystem-based management, the panel recommends developing fishery ecosystem plans (FEPs) for each major ecosystem in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). These plans will coordinate actions taken under existing single-species or species-complex fishery management plans (FMPs). The panel also proposes enhanced research on (1) the ecosystem effects of fishing, (2) ecosystem trends and dynamics, and (3) institutional and governance aspects of ecosystem-based fishery management. To implement these recommendations, a practical. iterative approach is envisioned which would generate a rapid increase in the use of existing ecosystem knowledge in fisheries management and prioritization of research.