Fishery forum on integrating fishing and ecosystem conservation: the way forward

摘要

The overarching goal of this, the final session of the symposium, was to provide a forum for discussion of the effect of the perceptions and decisions of fishers and resource managers on the success of sustainable use and successful management of fishery resources. The rationale for such a session was that fishery scientists attempt to provide accurate annual estimates of the state of fish resources and the marine ecosystem. This information is then fed into an advisory process, and fishery managers set total allowable catches (TACs) and conservation-orientated measures. Fishers experience the state of resources at sea daily and often perceive changes in the resource differently. It is critical that fishers' detailed knowledge of the resource be incorporated into the scientific advice given to fishery managers. The forum had a moderator and an invited panel. Its goal was to create dialogue among leaders from the fishing industry, academia, science, and conservation organizations, with a global perspective. Brief position papers were presented by a keynote speaker and members of the panel to set the stage for a final plenary discussion on the way forward towards integrating fishing and ecosystem conservation, taking into consideration lessons learned along with challenges and obstacles to implementation. The summary presented here does not attempt to reflect the detail of every topic raised during more than 3 h of discussion. It merely emphasizes the salient and topical issues that may have implications for short- to medium-term research. All sessions of the symposium were well attended by fishers and their representatives, and although most were, as to be expected by the geographical location of the meeting, from the northeast US, the issues raised were generally global in nature and therefore have implications well beyond the regional waters of the northeast US.