Linking Ecological Production Units: Connectivity Across Multiple Mass Balance Models within the Northeast US Continental Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem

Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) is a holistic, place-based method for managing fisheries resources.  In the Northeast United States, steps are being taken to adopt EBFM.  One of the first steps was creating spatial ecological productions units (EPU) that contain similar biological and oceanographic features.  These EPUs are the foundation of the place-based aspect of EBFM, and four have been identified within the Northeast US Continental Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem: (1) the Gulf of Maine, (2) Georges Bank, (3) Scotian Shelf, and the (4) Mid-Atlantic Bight.  To facilitate the use of these EPUs, we developed four mass balance food web models. We then linked multiple models representing the four EPUs primarily using terms for immigration and emigration of species. This allows outputs from one model to serve as inputs for adjacent models thus providing better spatial resolution than earlier mass balance models for this region.  Initial models had overly simplistic box structure to allow for proof of concept.  We then built in more complex food web structure to approach reality.  Ultimately, these linked static mass balance models will form the basis for a dynamic operating model to conduct management strategy evaluations of EBFM harvest strategies.