From the Aleutians to the Arctic: Integrating ecosystem approaches within the Alaska fishery management process

In Federally managed fisheries off Alaska, ecosystem-level information has been reviewed alongside single species stock assessments within the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s annual management process since 1995. Since 2002, stock assessment documents have included an ecosystem considerations section for each species. Multiple ecosystem models have been developed for several Alaskan ecosystems with the aim of integrating ecosystem level advice with standard single species advice. Ecosystem model results played an important role in the development of the Aleutian Islands Fishery Ecosystem Plan (AI FEP, 2007), and basic ecosystem analyses contributed to the Arctic Fishery Management Plan (2008). The cumulative effect of these projects has been to demonstrate the value of a broader, ecosystem-based context for management decision making . From these initiatives, new processes are evolving to incorporate ecosystem advice more formally in fishery management. A “State of the Aleutian Islands” report summarizing status and trends for key ecosystem indicators is in development by the AI FEP Team, which may serve as a model for future Gulf of Alaska, eastern Bering sea, and Arctic system status reports. While substantial challenges remain for implementing ecosystem approaches to fishery management in Alaska, further progress is likely given continued fishery management council support.