Why and How Could Indicators Be Used in an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management?

Fishery papers on ecosystem indicators, or ecological indicators, have flourished over the last 10 years, and many were justified by referring to the ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF). However, the reason(s) why indicators are relevant to an EAF are not always clear. Still less clear is the way(s) indicators might be used to give management advice in the context of an EAF. In this chapter we recount the emergence of the indicator concept in the EAF context. The concept being overloaded with too many roles and interpretations, we propose to split it into three separate categories fulfilling the functions of control, audit, and communication. The research needed to make these indicator variants operational is largely interdisciplinary.