Managing Fisheries in a Changing Environment

2017 Forum • May 1-2, 2017 • Monterey, CA

Final Agenda  •  Final Summary

Briefing materials and additional resources

The purpose of the 2017 Forum was to explore the challenges of managing fisheries in a changing environment, including steps managers are currently taking or considering to respond to change, and opportunities to prepare and respond to change in the longer term.

Forum Objectives

  • Share regional experiences and concerns related to changing fisheries and ocean conditions, and explore the management and governance challenges related to changing resource productivity and distribution

  • Examine regional approaches to ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM), and EBFM as a strategy for supporting ecosystem resilience in the face of change

  • Learn about emerging capabilities to anticipate potential challenges to fish stocks and ecosystems, and consider the opportunities, challenges, and processes involved in planning for change in the near and long term

  • Explore the range of pathways for integrating climate-related information into the decision-making process and identify opportunities for supporting effective communication between scientists and managers

  • Reflect on the institutional and operational challenges of making decisions under conditions of uncertainty and change

  • Share perspectives on the tools, skills, capabilities, and information councils need in order to manage fisheries effectively in a changing environment, and the role of goals and objectives in framing management decisions

Day 1: Managing fisheries IN a changing environment

Changes to fishery availability

Mid-Atlantic summer flounder
Mike Luisi, Maryland Department of Natural Resources; Chair, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council
Presentation

Atlantic coast blueline tilefish
Chip Collier, Fishery Biologist, South Atlantic Fishery Management Council
Brandon Muffley, Fishery Management Specialist, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council
Presentation (combined)

Pacific Dungeness Crab
Michele Culver, Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife; Pacific Fishery Management Council
Presentation

Changes to resource productivity

California Current context
Steven Bograd, Oceanographer, NOAA Fisheries Southwest Fisheries Science Center
Presentation

Pacific sablefish example
Michele Culver, Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife; Pacific Fishery Management Council
Presentation (single slide)

Day 2:  Managing fisheries FOR a changing environment

NOAA Fisheries initiatives

Advancing climate-ready fisheries management
Roger Griffis, Climate Coordinator, NOAA Fisheries
Presentation  •  Video

Regional ecosystem-based fisheries management frameworks

Pacific Coast Fishery Ecosystem Plan
Rich Lincoln, Pacific Fishery Management Council
Presentation  •  Video

Ecosystem approach to fisheries management in a changing environment
Warren Elliott, Vice Chair, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council
Presentation  •  Video 

Developing a Bering Sea FEP
Diana Evans, Fishery Analyst, North Pacific Fishery Management Council
Presentation  •  Video 

Ecosystem status reports and indicators

Ecosystem considerations reports for Alaska’s groundfish management
Stephani Zador, NOAA Fisheries Alaska Fisheries Science Center
Presentation •  Video (webinar)

Emerging trends, trials, and triumphs in the California Current ecosystem status report
Elliott Hazen, NOAA Fisheries Southwest Fisheries Science Center
Presentation  •  Video 

Mid-Atlantic State of the Ecosystem Report
Sarah Gaichas, NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Presentation •  Video 

Emerging tools and capabilities for understanding and anticipating change

What’s at risk? Assessing vulnerability of fish stocks in a changing climate
Roger Griffis, Climate Coordinator, NOAA Fisheries
Presentation  •  Video

The Alaska Integrated Climate Change Modeling Project: Identifying impacts and management solutions for Eastern Bering Sea fisheries
Kirstin Holsman, NOAA Fisheries Alaska Fisheries Science Center
Presentation •  Video

Predicting geographic range shifts of marine species and understanding sources of uncertainty
Jim Morley, Postdoctoral Researcher, Rutgers University
Presentation  •  Video