Ecosystems 2010: Global Progress on Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management

Submitted by Doug Schneider
Phone: 907-474-7449
09/09/09

Alaska Sea Grant is pleased to announce the 26th Lowell Wakefield Fisheries Symposium, Ecosystems 2010: Global Progress on Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management. This international meeting will take place November 8-11, 2010, in Anchorage, Alaska.

Ecosystems 2010 will bring together international fishery scientists, managers, and stakeholders to share insights into the current status and future prospects on ecosystem-based fisheries management or EBFM. After achieving general international consensus on the need for EBFM in the 1990s, to what extent is it being successfully implemented? This symposium builds on the 16th Lowell Wakefield Fisheries Symposium, Ecosystem Approaches for Fisheries Management, held in 1998, as well as international symposia held in France, Iceland, and Norway in the last decade.

Oral presentations and posters addressing the Ecosystems 2010 symposium theme are sought covering the following topics:

• Progress on regional applications of ecosystem-based management and fishery ecosystem plans, including identification of operational objectives (conservation, social, economic), and eco-regions.
• New analytical tools (strategic vs. tactical models, risk assessment, integrated ecosystem assessments).
• Evaluations of the utility of ecosystem indicators and empirical information needed to support EBFM.
• Human dimensions of EBFM, including successful stakeholder processes, and different perspectives on ecosystem approaches.
• Successful case studies and practical solutions (e.g., zoning, marine protected areas).
• Necessary steps for future progress. Whatäó»s next?

To submit an abstract for consideration, fill out the online submission form through the symposium Web site at http://seagrant.uaf.edu/conferences/2010/wakefield-ecosystems/index.php. The deadline for submissions is June 4, 2010. The symposium Web site also provides current information such as location, registration, and the meeting agenda.

Sponsors include the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Alaska Sea Grant, FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea), North Pacific Fishery Management Council, PICES (North Pacific Marine Science Organization) and U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service.

The Alaska Sea Grant College Program is a state-federal research, education and outreach partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Program and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Alaska Sea Grant and its Marine Advisory Program are based at the UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. MAP has offices in 10 coastal towns across the state.