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... as Forage in the Ecosystem: The Demand for Ecosystem Valuation
Birds, mammals, and fish eat Atlantic Herring. For the first time, fisheries managers in New England are explicitly considering these, and other, predators when setting harvest control rules for the Atlantic Herring fishery. Based on single-species biological reference points, the herring stock is currently well above MSY levels. However, management of this small, oily fish has been quite contentious; many diverse stakeholder groups have recently pushed for increased regulations and lower quotas in the herring fishery. As part of the process, stakeholders identified a diverse suite of metrics needed to assess the performance of a candidate harvest control rule. These metrics included body weight of bluefin tuna, productivity of common terns, biomass of spiny dogfish, and stability of revenues in the herring fishery. A simulation model was then constructed to examine the long-run effects of different harvest control rules on herring stocks, three predators, and the herring fishery. Making sense of the deluge of performance metrics is difficult. Informing this debate is the dream for an applied economist. Bioeconomic theory of predator-prey systems provides a useful framework for thinking about the value of âherring as forage in the ecosystem.â Ecosystem Services Valuation can operationalize this framework. ESV can also simplify the decision-making process by converting diverse model outputs to a standardized unit of measure. Yet minimal, if any, ESV methods were used to inform fisheries managers. We discuss areas where ESV could have been included more prominently and the barriers to truly realizing that dream
The role of sand lances (Ammodytes sp.) in the Northwest Atlantic ecosystem: a synthesis of current knowledge with implications for conservation and management
© The Author(s), 2020. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Staudinger, M. D., Goyert, H., Suca, J. J., Coleman, K., Welch, L., Llopiz, J. K., Wiley, D., Altman, I., Applegate, A., Auster, P., Baumann, H., Beaty, J., Boelke, D., Kaufman, L., Loring, P., Moxley, J., Paton, S., Powers, K., Richardson, D., Robbins, J., Runge, J., Smith, B., Spiegel, C., & Steinmetz, H. The role of sand lances (Ammodytes sp.) in the Northwest Atlantic ecosystem: a synthesis of current knowledge with implications for conservation and management. Fish and Fisheries, 00, (2020): 1-34, doi:10.1111/faf.12445.The American sand lance (Ammodytes americanus, Ammodytidae) and the Northern sand lance (A. dubius, Ammodytidae) are small forage fishes that play an important functional role in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean (NWA). The NWA is a highly dynamic ecosystem currently facing increased risks from climate change, fishing and energy development. We need a better understanding of the biology, population dynamics and ecosystem role of Ammodytes to inform relevant management, climate adaptation and conservation efforts. To meet this need, we synthesized available data on the (a) life history, behaviour and distribution; (b) trophic ecology; (c) threats and vulnerabilities; and (d) ecosystem services role of Ammodytes in the NWA. Overall, 72 regional predators including 45 species of fishes, two squids, 16 seabirds and nine marine mammals were found to consume Ammodytes. Priority research needs identified during this effort include basic information on the patterns and drivers in abundance and distribution of Ammodytes, improved assessments of reproductive biology schedules and investigations of regional sensitivity and resilience to climate change, fishing and habitat disturbance. Food web studies are also needed to evaluate trophic linkages and to assess the consequences of inconsistent zooplankton prey and predator fields on energy flow within the NWA ecosystem. Synthesis results represent the first comprehensive assessment of Ammodytes in the NWA and are intended to inform new research and support regional ecosystemâbased management approaches.This manuscript is the result of followâup work stemming from a working group formed at a twoâday multidisciplinary and international workshop held at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Massachusetts in May 2017, which convened 55 experts scientists, natural resource managers and conservation practitioners from 15 state, federal, academic and nonâgovernmental organizations with interest and expertise in Ammodytes ecology. Support for this effort was provided by USFWS, NOAA Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center (Award # G16AC00237), an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship to J.J.S., a CINAR Fellow Award to J.K.L. under Cooperative Agreement NA14OAR4320158, NSF award OCEâ1325451 to J.K.L., NSF award OCEâ1459087 to J.A.R, a Regional Sea Grant award to H.B. (RNE16âCTHCEâl), a National Marine Sanctuary Foundation award to P.J.A. (18â08âBâ196) and grants from the Mudge Foundation. The contents of this paper are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New England Fishery Management Council and MidâAtlantic Fishery Management Council. This manuscript is submitted for publication with the understanding that the United States Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for Governmental purposes. Any use of trade, firm or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government
Application of Seasonal Closures to Reduce Flatfish Bycatch in the U.S. Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery
Integrating Management Strategy Evaluation into fisheries management: advancing best practices for stakeholder inclusion based on an MSE for Northeast U.S. Atlantic herring
The New England Fishery Management Council used Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) to evaluate possible harvest control rules for Atlantic herring, the first MSE in the U.S. and perhaps globally to use open-invitation, public workshops for input. Stakeholder inclusion can increase both realism and likelihood of use by managers, but inclusivity is not achieved easily. Here, self-selected participants had diverse backgrounds and differing levels of interest and preparedness. We describe some challenges with directly engaging the public in MSE and offer broader insights for obtaining effective public participation during a decision-making process. Conducting an open MSE aligns well with publicly-driven management but requires clear goals and communication. Investment in effective organizers, impartial facilitators, and knowledgeable analysts can improve communication and understanding of MSE, to the betterment of fisheries management. We aim to further MSE best practices on integrating stakeholders and hope that our lessons learned on communication, engagement, and integration of MSE into an existing management arena will be useful to other practitioners.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author
2 5/18/07 Donald A. Williams III Owls Head. ME
Subject: [Fwd: ublic comment on federal register of 4/30107 vol 72 #82 pg 21226]-------- Original Message------