An Assessment of Fisheries
Management Strategies in
Alaska Relative to the Goals of
Ecosystem Approaches to
Management
Anne B. Hollowed, Kerim Aydin, Jennifer
Boldt, Angie Greig, Patricia Livingston,
and Chang Ik Zhang
Outline
1. Overview of EBM objectives in US fisheries off
Alaska
2. Examples of current EBM management
measures
3. Reporting and tracking EBM
a. Status reports and indicators
b. Modeling efforts to predict future impacts
c. Tracking progress using an integrated framework tool
4. Evaluation of effectiveness of EBM mgt off Alaska
5. Future research and management direction
2
North Pacific Fishery Management Council
Ecosystem Approach to Management
Prevent Overfishing
Promote Sustainable Fisheries and Communities
Preserve Food Web
Manage Incidental Catch and Reduce Bycatch and
Waste
Avoid Impacts to Seabirds and Marine Mammals:
Reduce and Avoid Impacts to Habitat
Promote Equitable and Efficient Use of Fishery
Resources
Increase Alaska Native Consultation
Improve Data Quality, Monitoring and Enforcement
www.fakr.noaa.gov/tasking/management_FMP.pdf
3
Multi-species, Multi-fishery, Multi-Sector,
Multi-Objective Management
Seabird
bycatch
provisions
Single
Species Harvest
Caps
Steller sea lion
Provisions
Prohibited
Species
Bycatch
Caps
Ecosystem
Considerations
Total Catch
Rationalized
Fishery
Provisions
Habitat
Protection
Provisions
Community
Development
Quotas
4
Current Groundfish Stock Status
Relative to MSY and B(MSY)
Multispecies management
Individual TAC’s should
not be exceeded
Basis is to use “lowest
common denominator”
species
Fishery “openings”
allowed based on
anticipated bycatch rates
Fishery “closures” occur
based on real-time
observer catch estimates
and fish-ticket data.
OY caps – 2 Million t
BSAI
Catch

Control
B  0  0.001  BRule
100%  B 100%
0.2

F35%
1
F40%
FOFL3 ( B) 0.15
FABC3 ( B)
0.1
0.05
0
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
B
B40%
TAC

ABC

OFL
5
6
Bering Sea Research Area 2008
Bering Sea Habitat Conservation Area
Aleutian Islands Habitat
Conservation Area 2007
7
Prohibited species
Management
• Prohibited species
caps:P. halibut, BSAI
crab, P. salmon
(especially Chinook and
Chum), P. herring
• Gear/Area closures
– Bristol Bay Red King
Crab Conservation
Area
• Chinook salmon:
– Hard cap + incentive
programs
• Chum salmon: TBD this
summer
Pacific herring. Photo: JJ Vollenweider, NOAA Fisheries
8
Non-target
Management
• Vulnerability assessment
– Susceptibility: bycatch
rate.
– Productivity: vital
rates
• Divide groups into
complexes with similar
life history
characteristics: sculpin,
shark, skates, octopus,
squid
• Species identification of
catch
• Accelerated life history
studies
9
Forage Fish
• Catch deterrents
– Maximum Retention
Allowance 2% of
landed catch
• No directed fishery
Reduce Discard
• Full retention provisions
on catcher vessels
targeting cod and
pollock
• Groundfish Retention
Standards
• Bycatch avoidance
research
10
Alaska Fisheries Science Center & North
Pacific Fishery Management Council’s
version of Integrated Ecosystem
Assessments
•Annual Stock assessment
Fishery Evaluations
•Catch reporting: non-targets,
prohibited species, seabirds,
other non-specified, forage fish
Essential Fish Habitat – 5 year
assessment and review
•Reports from protected
resources
•Peer review by Center of
Independent Experts and
Marine Stewardship Council
www.NPFMC.NOAA.gov
11
Ecosystem Considerations Chapter
Fisheries and The Environment (FATE) /Resource Ecology
and Ecosystem Modeling (REEM)
“Proto” = shows recent level and trend in relation to historical variation (“green
zone” is +/- 1 S.D.) Direction and color not indicative of “good” or “bad”.
Five-year running mean
Five-year linear trend
12
BS Diversity index
BS Species richness
BS size spectrum slope
BS HAPC survey CPUE
AI HAPC survey CPUE
GOA Diversity index
GOA species richness
GOA HAPC survey CPUE
All regions – indices
of diversity
13
Total catch
Bottom trawl effort
Longline effort
Pot effort
Trophic level of catch
FIB index
Discards
Discard rate
HAPC nontarget catch
Bering Sea Fishing
effects on ecosystem
14
Forecasting
Models
• Multispecies
Bycatch Model
Multispecies & multimulti-fisheries management
Fisheries
Multiple species/stocks
• MSVPA/MSFOR
• End – To – End
Models
• Multispecies
Management
Strategy
Evaluations
• ECOSIM
15
Integrated Fisheries Risk
Assessment Method or
Ecosystems IFRAME
Zhang, C. I., S. Kim, D. Gunderson, R. Marasco, J. B. Lee, H. W.
Park, and J. H. Lee. An Ecosystem-based Fisheries
Assessment Approach for Korean Fisheries. Fisheries
Research. 2009.
Application of Integrated Fisheries Risk Assessment Method for
Ecosystems (IFRAME) to EBS trawl fisheries
• Integrated Risk Scores
• Performance tracking
• Evaluation of alternative management strategies
Preliminary results and discussion
16
Changes in management for
the EBS trawl fisheries
Since 1997, numerous fishery management actions for
groundfish have been implemented.
 Amendment of Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation
and Management Act (MSFCMA)
 American Fisheries Act, and
 A suite of Steller sea lion protection measures
These changes warrant evaluation of their impacts on the
EBS trawl fisheries and fisheries impacts on the EBS
ecosystem.
17
Management objectives and attributes (New)
Biomass
Fishing
intensity
Size/age at
first capture
Habitat size
Community
structure
Macroeconomics
Microeconomics
Social
considerations
S
H
E
Incidental catch
Biodiversity Discards
Trophic level
Diversity
Integrity of
functional group
Sustainability
SocioEconomics
Habitat
Habitat
damage
Discarded
wastes
Habitat
protection
B
18
Indicators developed so far
Sustainability
•Biomass***
•Catch***
•Age at first capture**
Biodiversity
•Discard rate**
•Mean trophic level**
•Diversity index***
Habitat
•Critical habitat damage
rate**
•Prohibited area from
fishing***
Socio-economy
•Catch per vessel**
•Price per pound*
•Average wage***
*Number of asterisks denotes relative weights
19
Ecosystem
Nested risk
Fishery A
Species 1
Objective S … ORI
Objective B … ORI SRI
Objective H … ORI
Objective E … ORI
FRI
Species 2
Objective S … ORI
Objective B … ORI SRI
Objective H … ORI
Objective E … ORI
Fishery B
Species 1
Objective S … ORI
Objective B … ORI
Objective H … ORI
Objective E … ORI
Species 2
Objective S … ORI
Objective B … ORI
Objective H … ORI
Objective E … ORI
indices of IFRAME
n
 IiWi
Ii : Score of indicator i
Wi : Weighting factor of indicator i
n : Number of indicators
ORI  i 1
n
Wi
i 1
SRI  S ORIS  B ORIB  H ORIH  E ORIE
S , H , B , E : Weighting value for objectives
   1.0
ORI S
ORI B
ORI H
ERI
ORIE
SRI
FRI 
FRI
: Biodiversity risk index
: Habitat risk index
: Socio-economic risk index
 Bi SRI i
 Bi
Bi : Biomass or biomass index of species i
ERI 
SRI
: Sustainability risk index
 Ci FRI i
 Ci
Ci : Catch of fishery
20
Assessing indicators using reference points
Example _ Sustainability_Biomass (Tier 1)
Reference points
Objectives
Attribute
Sustainability
Biomass
Indicator
Biomass (B)
Weight
Target (0)
Between (0-2)
Limit (2)
B≥BMSY
BMSY ＞B≥ 0.5BMSY
B＜0.5BMSY
***
Walleye pollock :
1997
2007
BMSY
1.84 mmt
2.06 mmt
0.5BMSY
0.94 mmt
2.03 mmt
Biomass
3.67 mmt
1.95 mmt
Risk score
0
0.22
.
21
Preliminary risk assessment diagram for the EBS trawl
fishery
97
97
07 07
07 07
97
FRI97 =0.665,
97
FRI07=0.291
22
Evaluation of NPFMC harvest strategy
relative to principles of EAM
• Management policy aligns well with principles of
EAM.
• Complex system of management results in multisector management.
• Precautionary harvest policies appear to be
sustainable.
• Predictive tools are needed to account for the
interactions to assess how proposed changes ripple
through the system.
23
IFRAME as an Element of
Integrated Ecosystem Assessments
 IFRAME synthesizes indicators into a risk assessment framework for
use in evaluating the efficacy of management practices.
 Identifies key gaps in knowledge.
 Risk scores currently scaled to common scoring system but
ecosystem impacts may not be equal.
 Ecosystem status could be influenced by factors other than
management strategy.
 Weights currently subjective and may differ between user groups.
 Preliminary results indicate there was an improvement in the
ecosystem resulting from new management practices.
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Future Issues and Modeling
 Integrated Ecosystem Assessments feasible because of
comprehensive monitoring and assessment program within
AFSC.
 Further research needed on key relationships:
 Catch quotas and trawl distribution and intensity.
 Catch quotas and incidental catch rate.
 Improved understanding of life history of non-target
species.
 Forecasting: IFRAME +Technical Interactions
25
Results of risk assessment for walleye pollock
ORI
Objectives
Significance
1997
2007
Sustainability
0.001
0.074
NS
Biodiversity
0.571
0.313
NS
Habitat
0.923
0.222
NS
SocioEconomics
1.252
0.333
NS
0.687
0.232
NS
SRI
NS : denotes non-significant
A total of 7 species (Pacific cod, POP, yellowfin sole, rock sole,
flathead sole, and arrowtooth flounder) were assessed.
26
The Ecosystem Assessment: Tracking and modeling the effects of fishing
and climate on ecosystem structure and function on multiple scales
• Preserving nodal species within
a complex network
– 300+ species
• Measuring direct and indirect
effects of fishing and climate
within a food web
– 100+ groups including multiple
fisheries
• Tracking status and shifts in
production between major
functional groups.
– 14 major groups
27
Acres Disturbed: Km2 disturbed
expanded from observer data
1997
2007
28