Putting into practice the ecosystem approach to fisheries FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS |
The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
ISBN 92-5-105396-0
All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission should be addressed to the Chief, Publishing Management Service, Information Division, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy or by e-mail to [email protected]
Cover picture by Emanuela D'Antoni
This document is an abridged version of the FAO Fisheries Technical Guidelines No. 4, Suppl. 2, entitled Fisheries management. 2. The ecosystem approach to fisheries. It is intended to provide a more concise and less technical outline of the purpose and meaning of the ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) and guidance as to how to implement the approach.
The document was prepared by Claire Attwood, Kevern Cochrane and Caroline Hanks and the layout was done by JoséLuis Castilla. Valuable comments and contributions to earlier versions were made by Serge Garcia, Derek Staples and Rolf Willmann. The image on the cover was prepared by Emanuela D'Antoni from photographs by Felix Marttin and Kevern Cochrane.
The Government of Japan provided the funding for preparation and printing of this document through Project GCP/INT/920/JPN: “Capacity Building for an Ecosystem Approach: Considering Interactions, including with Marine Mammals”.
Although the principles of an ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) are not new, there is very little practical experience in their implementation. Translating high-level policy goals on EAF into operational objectives and actions is now the key challenge to sustainable fisheries.
This booklet will:
- provide an overview of EAF, for marine capture fisheries, and its benefits;
- consider what is required to implement EAF;
- consider the range of management measures available;
- provide an overview of the management process;
- outline any outstanding research requirements;
- list the main threats to the implementation of EAF.
FAO.
Putting into practice the ecosystem approach to fisheries.
Rome, FAO. 2005. 76p.
Hyperlinks to non-FAO Internet sites do not imply any official endorsement of or responsibility for the opinions, ideas, data or products presented at these locations, or guarantee the validity of the information provided. The sole purpose of links to non-FAO sites is to indicate further information available on related topics.
This electronic document has been scanned using optical character recognition (OCR) software. FAO declines all responsibility for any discrepancies that may exist between the present document and its original printed version.
What is EAF and what are the benefits?
What are the data and information requirements for EAF?
The need to create incentives for EAF
Assessing the costs and benefits of EAF
What are the legal and institutional aspects of EAF?
Effective monitoring, control and surveillance
What are the key research requirements for EAF?
What are the threats to EAF implementation?