Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management Offers a Sustainable Path for the Ocean

Collected research and analysis on how this approach can support long-term marine health

Philip Thurston Getty Images

Ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) is a holistic approach that incorporates marine ecosystem health into the management of fish stocks. By integrating ecosystem-focused policy objectives, advanced data analysis of an ocean region, and stakeholder engagement into management regimes, EBFM can help ensure the long-term viability of global fisheries, as well as the species and ecosystems that they depend on. EBFM also provides tools to help managers meet their wider conservation commitments, such as the Global Biodiversity Framework targets.

The fact sheets and other resources collected here present tools that managers can use to implement EBFM, including ecosystem-focused harvest strategies, spatial measures for habitat and species protection, and bycatch-reduction and climate-resilience measures. These tools can help managers and stakeholders strengthen fisheries management and build a more sustainable future. They reflect the scope of The Pew Charitable Trusts’ ongoing work on EBFM in international fisheries management, which builds on Pew’s previous efforts to expand the use of ecosystem approaches in the United States.

OUR WORK

Issue Brief

Making Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management a Reality

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Issue Brief

Around the globe, fisheries managers tasked with overseeing high-value fisheries have, for decades, considered individual species in isolation, implementing management measures that fail to account for the needs of the broader ocean ecosystem or the emerging threats of climate change.

Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management Needed to Help Marine Life Thrive in Northeast Atlantic Ocean
Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management Needed to Help Marine Life Thrive in Northeast Atlantic Ocean
Issue Brief

Modernizing Fisheries Management in The Atlantic

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Issue Brief

Historically, fisheries management has largely focused on maximizing catch of a target species. Attempts by fisheries managers around the world to reduce overfishing in recent decades have yielded mixed progress.