Outcomes
- A shared understanding of multiple knowledge systems and approaches to execute fisheries management in an ecosystem context (FIMEC).
- A shared narrative that is inclusive of multiple disciplines, expertise, countries and cultures which can enable effective participation and contribution to global fora.
- Enhanced awareness of fisheries management in an ecosystem context experiences around the world, particularly from underrepresented regions.
- An outline of progress thus far on the implementation of fisheries management in an ecosystem context.
- A proposed path forward for managing fisheries in an ecosystem context.
Scope
The global symposium on Ecosystem Approaches to Fisheries that substantially launched ecosystem-oriented fisheries management approaches was held in Reykjavik in 2001. It is now time to evaluate over two decades of fisheries work in an ecosystem context, given the multiple pressures still facing marine fisheries as well as new challenges and conditions confronting the world ocean.
The concepts of Ecosystem Approaches to Fisheries (EAF), Ecosystem-based Fisheries Management (EBFM), and related integrated and holistic approaches to fisheries management share common principles and practical implications. Central to these are recognizing fisheries as complex social–ecological systems; accounting for the interactions between fisheries and ecosystems; integrating ecological, social, cultural, economic and governance dimensions into decision-making; addressing fisheries within broader multisectoral seascapes; considering ecosystem variability and global environmental change; and explicitly evaluating ecosystem services, trade-offs and cumulative impacts. Throughout the symposium, these shared principles are collectively referred to as EBFM/EAF.
This Fisheries Management in an Ecosystem Context (FIMEC) symposium is timely as countries seek to implement global commitments such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), and other instruments with significant implications to fisheries governance. Concepts such as Natural Capital and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) need to now be addressed in the context of fisheries management. These are not novel concepts, however they have not been widely used in conventional fisheries management, even when taking an integrated ecosystem approach. Likewise, international agreements such as CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) are creating new challenges for fisheries governance and management. This symposium will provide a forum to discuss how EBFM/EAF can contribute to the implementation of these broader agendas.
The symposium is also timely in light of the environmental and societal changes affecting marine ecosystems and fisheries. These require consideration of the impacts of other ocean-use sectors and resulting pressures from the expansion of the blue economy, as well as global environmental change, how climate-related events are expressed in changing ocean dynamics and their implications for fisheries management. Including these factors has been a hallmark of fisheries management in an ecosystem context and needs continued examination. The aim of the FIMEC Symposium is to convene global practitioners of fisheries management in an ecosystem context to assess progress in the advancement of EBFM/EAF, discover lessons learned from decades of practical implementation, and establish a future trajectory for the discipline and practice of fisheries by bringing together multiple disciplines and expertise from around the world, emphasizing experiences from all countries and cultures.
This Fisheries Management in an Ecosystem Context (FIMEC) symposium is timely as countries seek to implement global commitments such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), and other instruments with significant implications to fisheries governance. Concepts such as Natural Capital and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) need to now be addressed in the context of fisheries management. These are not novel concepts, however they have not been widely used in conventional fisheries management, even when taking an integrated ecosystem approach. Likewise, international agreements such as CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) are creating new challenges for fisheries governance and management. This symposium will provide a forum to discuss how EBFM/EAF can contribute to the implementation of these broader agendas.
The symposium is also timely in light of the environmental and societal changes affecting marine ecosystems and fisheries. These require consideration of the impacts of other ocean-use sectors and resulting pressures from the expansion of the blue economy, as well as global environmental change, how climate-related events are expressed in changing ocean dynamics and their implications for fisheries management. Including these factors has been a hallmark of fisheries management in an ecosystem context and needs continued examination. The aim of the FIMEC Symposium is to convene global practitioners of fisheries management in an ecosystem context to assess progress in the advancement of EBFM/EAF, discover lessons learned from decades of practical implementation, and establish a future trajectory for the discipline and practice of fisheries by bringing together multiple disciplines and expertise from around the world, emphasizing experiences from all countries and cultures.