The Australian Fish Management Forum Update

[Gad]

Taken from the DEEDI Email newsletter dated 16-8-11

The Australian Fisheries Management Forum has agreed that Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) is the approach that will be used to holistically manage commercial, recreational, charter and customary fishing at the regional or ecosystem level. This provides an integrated approach that will assist in reaching more balanced decisions on the appropriate use of resources

Implementing Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM)

It is now recognised that a “whole of ecosystem†or “bioregional approach†is the

appropriate scale to deal with the environmental and social issues generated by

human population pressure.

The Australian Fisheries Management Forum has agreed EBFM is the approach that will be used to holistically manage commercial,recreational, charter and customary fishing at this regional or ecosystem level by considering their cumulative impacts on the environment, while taking into account the social, economic and other fisheries management objectives.

This integrated approach will assist in reaching more balanced decisions on the appropriate use of

resources, consistent with the principles for ecologically sustainable development

(ESD).

Comprehensive ‘ESD’ based assessments are now completed for most individual

fisheries and EBFM will integrate these into regional level assessments for each

specified region.

EBFM will therefore provide an essential linkage between the fishery-level management arrangements and the regional-level planning generally undertaken by other government agencies that operate in the coastal and marine environments which are collectively known as Ecosystem Based Management (EBM).

The practical application of EBFM involves use of a step-wise, risk based approach

to identify all the individual fishery issues and consolidate these into regional level

assets. Then using risk assessment and their relative ecological, social and

economic values to the community, determine the appropriate level of management

response.

The EBFM approach recognises that the level of knowledge available for

an issue only needs to be appropriate given the risk level and the proposed level of

precaution in the management arrangements.

Implementing EBFM will not, therefore, automatically generate a requirement to collect more ecological data or directly manage everything. Additional management or data collection is only needed if this assists the management of an unacceptable risk.

Key Elements and Scope of EBFM

•Regional level, multi-fishery and, where relevant, includes aquaculture and freshwater

fisheries.

•Integrated decision making process, using a holistic risk management approach.

•Incorporates management of the effects of all fishing activities on the ecosystem

including any cumulative impacts.

•Integrates social and economic outcomes in decision making to generate the best overall

outcomes for the community

•Assists influence or the recognition of the management of impacts on fisheries caused

by external factors (this is the critical link to broader EBM processes

[rayke1938]

Sounds like doubledutch anf gobblegook to me.

"The EBFM approach recognises that the level of knowledge available for

an issue only needs to be appropriate given the risk level and the proposed level of

precaution in the management arrangements."

Who decides the risk level and proposed level of precaution?

The same people who introduced the closed snapper season?

I volunteer to hold the wet bit of string to assist.

Looks like giving more power to the greens .

How can you make a decision on risk level without any knowledge of the subject?

Cheers

Ray

[Guest]

Thanks for the update Gad, enjoyed the read

Knowledge is power

Cheers

Darren