ATLANTIS-NEUS: Exploring ecosystem dynamics, possible management actions, and climate scenarios in the northeast U.S. large marine ecosystem with ATLANTIS

Ecosystem-based fishery management (EBFM) will require operating models that consider a range of processes that affect marine ecosystems.  The goal of an operating model is to provide strategic information regarding the potential effects of different management scenarios on an ecosystem.  ATLANTIS is one such model which explores fishing effects and ecological interactions among functional groups, and incorporates physical, planktonic, and social processes.  ATLANTIS can model proposed management actions using virtual assessments.  Management actions are applied based on reference levels ranging from typical reference points like B_MSY, to ecosystem-based indicators.  Management options simulated by ATLANTIS are varied, including: catch and effort controls, spatial management, seasonal closures, and technical controls. We present results from an ATLANTIS model applied to the Northeast U.S. large marine ecosystem (ATLANTIS-NEUS) across a range of management and ecological scenarios.  These scenarios show the potential efficacy of management actions to achieve goals set for targeted functional groups, and the indirect effects on other portions of the ecosystem and how they might be further modified under changing environmental conditions.  We assert that the value of this approach is to “test-drive” management decisions before they are implemented, and thus identify management strategies that are robust.