Fisheries and ecosystem-based management: The role of marine spatial planning

Fisheries management is in transition from single species approaches to management toward fully considering the ecosystem context in which these fisheries occur.  This trend is often described as ecosystem-based fisheries management.  A broader approach to marine ecosystem-based management considers not only the fisheries sector, but other sectors that use ocean resources in one way or the other.  Both the Pew Commission and the US Commission on Ocean Policy urged the adoption of ecosystem-based management over 5 years ago. In June 2009, President Obama created the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force to flesh out a new integrative National Ocean Policy and a Framework for Marine Spatial Planning to implement ecosystem-based management across ocean sectors. In this talk, I will review the use of MSP around the world in the context of fisheries and in full cross-sectoral mode.  MSP has promise to support economic, environmental, social, and security goals.  It also has the potential to promote resilient, healthy, functioning ecosystems while also allowing sustainable use of marine space and resources. But transitioning from “business as usual” to this new approach will require active engagement of ocean users and the environmental community in formulating plans that can meet multiple objectives.