Ecological risk assessment for effects of fishing on habitats and communities

Community Ecology

Hobday, Alistair ; Bulman, Cathy ; Williams, Alan ; Fuller, Mike

CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research

DOI  :  10.4225/08/584d97c1b9c2a
RP-ID  :  EP143216

学科分类：地球科学(综合)

澳大利亚|英语

来源: CSIRO Research Publications Repository

【 摘 要 】

Ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) requires going beyond direct species impacts resulting from fishing: impacts on habitats and ecological communities must be understood and managed to enhance overall ecosystem sustainability. Commonwealth fisheries managed by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) are currently assessed for ecological risk using the Ecological Risk Assessment for the Effects of Fishing (ERAEF), a set of hierarchical tools that continue to develop in order to meet the EBFM mandate.In meeting its two objectives, this project first provides a tool with which Australian fisheries can establish the relative risk of fishing activities on the ecological communities falling within each fishing jurisdiction, consistent with ecosystem-based management needs. These methods can now be applied to a range of fisheries, using project spreadsheets, databases and the ‘how-to-guide’ provided.As well as facilitating risk assessments, AFMA is also responsible for using the subsequent results to guide management action. A process for developing species risk management responses, so called Ecological Risk Management (ERM), has been previously established, but results from habitat risk assessments were not yet included in ERM planning; thus the second objective of the project was to provide methods by which habitats assessed at high risk can be managed by AFMA and its fisheries. The transparent pathways for operationalising habitat risk results described in this project offer a range of options for the management of high risk habitats. Overall, this project will assist AFMA to progress management of ecological risk in fisheries, as required under a range of management plans.The advances made will continue to position Australian fisheries at the forefront of EBFM, and as the ERAEF tools are also being used around the world, particularly in eco-certification, our fisheries will be well placed with regard to a demonstrated ability to meet international best practice guidelines for sustainable fisheries.