The Use of Ecosystem Indicators in Management: North Pacific Perspectives

Ecosystem indicators are being increasingly incorporated into groundfish fisheries management in Alaska, but there remains potential for advancement. During the past two decades, ecosystem information has largely been provided to the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council (NPFMC) in a single annual report, the Ecosystem Considerations report. During this time, the report has developed into more regionally-specific assessments based on ecosystem indicator status and trends. This is an adaptive document that is revised annually in response to review and thus can easily incorporate new ecosystem information. The indicator-based assessments provide an ecosystem context within which the groundfish stock assessment recommendations are evaluated, becoming one of a suite of ecosystem-based fisheries management actions practiced by the NPFMC. This is admittedly a qualitative incorporation of ecosystem information, but one that recognizes that discussion can directly influence catch recommendations. In contrast, there are examples of ecosystem indicators being directly incorporated into stock assessments. This is an area of active development. I will discuss new efforts to develop ecosystem indicator report cards specific to individual stock assessments. I will also discuss some future directions for the role of ecosystem models and how indicators can inform a variety of ecosystem-based management activities.