The Habitat Science Needed for Effective Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM)

Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) is a comprehensive approach to the management of fisheries sector living marine resources. In contrast to single-species or single-issue management, EBFM considers a wider range of relevant ecological, environmental, and human factors affecting societal choices regarding resource use. Inclusive in EBFM is the requirement of managers to consider the complex interactions between fishes and their dependent habitats, and the effects of fishing upon habitat and fish stocks. There are ever-increasing demands being placed on marine habitats across many sectors of the U.S. economy, but the role of marine habitats in supporting fishery production and in providing other critical ecosystem services is not always well known. Although the importance of habitat is widely recognized, the ability to model, assess, and anticipate changes in resource productivity resulting from habitat alteration, habitat loss, and habitat restoration is still in its early stages. In order to best manage national living marine resources, achieve sustainable fisheries, and meet the mandates of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, it is imperative to continue investigating the relationships between fisheries species and their habitats. Advances in habitat science can provide essential information to resource managers on the current status and future trends of marine habitats that are utilized by living marine resources throughout their life histories. Included in this symposium will be presentations on habitat science and assessments that increase the information available for fisheries managers to make better-informed decisions and provide essential information to resource managers on the current status and future trends of habitats that are utilized by fisheries resources.