1

How Canadian federal agencies perceive and are currently

implementing EAM

Presentation by K. FrankBedford Institute of Oceanography

Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO)Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

(two case studies)

2

DFO’s Oceans Mandate

Oceans Act (established in 1997) affirms DFO as lead federal authority for oceans:– Lead and facilitate in the development and

implementation of • national oceans management strategy • integrated management plans, and • national system of MPAs

– Coordinate with other departments/agencies

3

EAM Framework: Objectives and Strategies

EAM Framework: Objectives Strategies

Productivity: Do not cause unacceptable reduction in productivity so that components can play their role in the functioning of the ecosystem

Keep fishing mortality moderate

Allow sufficient escapement from exploitation for spawningLimit disturbing activity in important reproductive areas/seasonsControl alteration of nutrient concentrations affecting primary production

Biodiversity: Do not cause unacceptable reduction in biodiversity in order to preserve the structure and natural resilience of the ecosystem

Control unintended incidental mortality for all species

Distribute population component mortality in relation to component biomassMinimize unintended introduction and transmission of invasive speciesControl introduction and proliferation of disease/pathogens

Minimize aquaculture escapes

Habitat: Do not cause unacceptable modification to habitat in order to safeguard both physical and chemical properties of the ecosystem

Manage area disturbed of habitat

Limit introduction of pollutants

Minimize introduction of debris

Control noise disturbance

Control light disturbance

4

• Intention of DFO to implement an EAM in a step by step, evolutionary way, building on existing management processes

• Advances will be made incrementally, additional levels of integration being added as required to take account of cumulative effects of multiple uses

5

• DFO is implementing a regional EAM Framework by incorporating it into Integrated Fisheries Management Plans (IFMP)

– Purpose - to provide a planning framework for conservation and sustainable use of fisheries resources

66

What They Contain

• Overview of the fishery

• Stock assessment and ecosystem interactions

• Fishery’s social, cultural and economic importance

• Management issues

• Management objectives

• Strategies and measures for implementing objectives

• Access and allocation arrangements

• Stewardship arrangements

• Compliance plan

• Plan for monitoring and reviewing

77

History and Availability

• First introduced at DFO in mid 1990s

• Intention was to complete IFMPs for all major fisheries– Completing IFMPs and keeping them up-to-date remains an

ongoing challenge

• Guidance on content continues to evolve– Current guidance and template available on DFO website

• Completed IFMPs are available to the public– IFMPs (guidance, template, documents): http://www.dfo-

mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/peches-fisheries/ifmp-gmp/index-eng.htm

8

Fisheries Management Plans by Region

Maritimes RegionAmerican Lobster – 2011

Atlantic herring – 2003-2006Atlantic Seal - 2011-2015

Atlantic Mackerel - Effective 2007 Bluefin Tuna - Effective 2007 Bluefin Tuna - Effective 2008

Atlantic Swordfish and Other Tunas - 2004-06 Newfoundland and Labrador Region

Atlantic Seal - 2011-2015 Atlantic Seal - 2006-2010

Atlantic Mackerel - Effective 2007 Bluefin Tuna - Effective 2007 Bluefin Tuna - Effective 2008

Atlantic Swordfish and Other Tunas - 2004-06 Northern Shrimp - Effective 2003 Northern Shrimp - Effective 2007

Snow Crab (2009-2011)

Quebec RegionAtlantic Seal - 2011-2015

Management Plans Atlantic Pelagic Shark - 2002-2007 Atlantic Mackerel - Effective 2007

Bluefin Tuna - Effective 2007 Bluefin Tuna - Effective 2008

Atlantic Swordfish and Other Tunas - 2004-2006

No groundfish (cod, haddock, pollock, hakes, flatfish)

A few small pelagics (herring)

No elasmo-branchs (skates and sharks)

Majority of species/stocks do not have IFMPs

9

• Scotia-Fundy Herring Integrated Fisheries Management Plan (IFMP) for the 4VWX herring fisheries

~ 2400 commercial herring licences~ 1790 vessel based (40 purse seine, 1710 gillnet,

42 bar seine)~ 280 fixed gear licences (260 weirs, 20 trap nets)

~ 220 recreational and 100 transport licences

10

• The main principle stated in the plan is “the conservation of the herring resource and the preservation of all of its spawning components”

• Complex stock structure

11Many discrete sub-stocks reside within the management unit

12

In the past, spatial structure ignored and eroded under a TAC considered appropriate for the whole

Re-building of stock structure considered essential to recovery

Solution ---

13

• In-season management– Monitoring of appearance on spawning

grounds– Surveying of biomass of individual

components (by industry)– Management & decision-making to spread

fishing effort among spawning components• Harvesting no more than 20% of the estimated

component biomass

Survey, assess, then fish protocol1

Stephenson, R. L., Rodman, K., Aldous, D. G., and Lane, D. E. 1999. An in-seasonapproach to management under uncertainty: the case of the SW Nova Scotia herringfishery. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 56: 1005–1013.

14

1) To maintain the reproductive capacity of herring in each management unit through:

- persistence of all spawning components in the management unit;

- maintenance of biomass of each spawning component above a minimum threshold;

- maintenance of a broad age composition for each spawning component; and

- maintenance of a long spawning period for each spawning component.

Three conservation objectives appear in the plan:

15

2) To prevent growth overfishing:- continue to strive for fishing mortality rate no higher than natural mortality

3) To maintain ecosystem integrity/ ecological relationships (“ecosystem balance”)

- maintain spatial and temporal diversity of spawning- maintain herring biomass at moderate to high levels

16

Performance/evaluation of herring conservation objectives

2000 - 2010

17

DFO Research Document 2012/025

Recovery slower than anticipated

Too little too late?

18

Number of licences = ~3000 with ~ 1600 in LFA 33 & 34

19

Fishery is governed by a suite of legislation, policy and regulations including but not limited to those noted below.

20

Conservation strategies and tacticsProductivity• Keep lobster fishing mortality moderate

– Limited entry – Trap limits – Minimum legal sizes – Window in some LFAs (i.e. release of mid-sized

lobsters) – Seasons (i.e. closures during

spawning/molting/extrusion periods) – Studies on improving gear efficiency and selectivity

• Keep fishing mortality moderate for by-catch– Gear fitted with escape vents and biodegradable

panels

21

• Allow sufficient escapement from exploitation for spawning– Release of berried female lobsters – V-notching of berried female lobsters

– Release of female Jonah and rock crab

Biodiversity• Control unintended incidental mortality of North

Atlantic right whales– Voluntary standards of practice developed with World

Wildlife Federation (e.g., avoidance protocols, gear setting techniques)

– Outreach and information provided to harvesters

22

Habitat• Manage area of disturbed bottom habitat

– Coral closures – Marine Protected Areas – Gear handling (weighted traps, proper hauling)

• Limit introduction of pollutants– Periodic reminders at meetings of proper disposal of

waste material – Minimize introduction of debris

Social, Cultural and Economic Objectives also exist

23

Lobster Landings and Value

Over last two decades: Lobster accounted for ~ one-third of commercial fishery value in Maritimes Region to ~ 55 percent in 2008 In 2008, Maritimes Region Lobster accounted for 20 percent of the value of the entire Canadian commercial fishery

24

• Suggests this fishery is working very well

• However, compliance issues exist

• For example: – setting of illegal and unmarked traps in closed

areas and seasons– retention of undersized or egg-bearing

lobsters continue unabated and increasing

25

DFO

VIOLATIONS BY LFA -- 2000 to 2008

How can we stop fighting?

Conservation vs. Exploitation

26

Getting to know you Getting to know all about you. Getting to like you, Getting to hope you like me

Getting to know you, Getting to feel free and easyWhen I am with you, Getting to know what to say

27

• Many small steps towards EAM • Cooperation and compliance pose

challenges• Partnerships growing• NGOs/Consumers/Universities can speed

up the rate of EAM implementation

» The end

28

29

http://www.cfrn-rcrp.ca/Public-Home-EN

30

• The Network focuses on issues relevant to industry, and aimed at increasing knowledge that will enhance the ecological sustainability, socio-economic viability and management of Canadian fisheries

• Network objectives:– To overcome information gaps for important

commercial fisheries and improve the use of industry information in assessment and management;

– To enhance ecological sustainability while achieving operational efficiency

– To improve the basis for the ecosystem approach to fisheries management.

31

• The implementation of EAM involves:– appreciation of suite of human activities contributing

to pressures on marine ecosystem – designation of management units over which

pressures can be measured and regulated– establishment of reference points to guide decisions– incorporation of strategies into management plans to

regulate key pressures– performance evaluations to determine if tactics are

effective and if strategies are suitable– evolution of the governance institutions to address

the hierarchical structure of EAM management planning

32

Social, Cultural and Economic Objectives• Facilitate Aboriginal participation in fisheries and

associated economic opportunities, and in the management of aquatic resources

• Offer flexibility in policy and licensing– Maintain the allowance for the formation of partnerships and

stacking of licences so fleets may rationalize capacity during periods of changing price or abundance

• Promote stability in access to resources and allocations– Limit entry to fishery through licensing policy so that licence

holders may develop long-term business plans

• Support certification for sustainability– Collect data on discards of some crab species – End of season submission of Species at Risk reporting document

3333

• IFMPs must respond to three things:1. A requirement to incorporate the Resource

Management Sustainable Fisheries Framework (SFF), in particular the precautionary approach and ecosystem factors and impacts in fishery decision-making

2. Demands of Canadians seeking more stability, fairness and transparency from fisheries management systems

3. The need to put in place a rules-based approach to decision-making, which is more transparent, rigorous and systematic

3434

SFF Policies • Precautionary Approach

– Applies to target stocks where decisions have to be made on harvest strategies or harvest rates– Includes reference points linked to stock and ecosystem indicators

• Forage Species– Applies primarily to new fisheries on forage species– Maintain species (affected directly or indirectly) and ecological relationships within bounds of

natural fluctuations

• Sensitive Benthic Areas– Mitigate or avoid impacts from fishing that are likely to cause serious or irreversible harm to

sensitive marine habitat, communities and species – Decision to prioritize cold-water corals, sponge dominated communities, and seamounts

• Bycatch– Support sustainable harvesting and minimize risks of serious or irreversible harm to bycatch

species– Account for total catch, including retained and non-retained bycatch

35

EAM Framework

• Step 1: Identify Relevant Activities• Step 2: Prioritize Key Pressures• Step 3: Define Management Units and Attributes• Step 4: Determine Ways to Measure/Monitor Key

Pressures (Reference Points)• Step 5: Determine Ways to Measure/Monitor Key

Attributes (Reference Points)• Step 6: Identify Appropriate Tactics to Implement

Strategies• Step 7: Incorporate strategies into management plans. • Step 8: Conduct performance evaluations. • Step 9: Monitor attributes (and pressures). • Step 10: Review overall process and management

framework, including building stakeholder capacity, etc.