Moving beyond static thinking to manage a dynamic world

The concept of dynamic ocean management was first introduced as pelagic marine protected areas that shift to track ecologically relevant ephemeral ocean features. However, the majority of implemented marine spatial management... [ view full abstract ]

The concept of dynamic ocean management was first introduced as pelagic marine protected areas that shift to track ecologically relevant ephemeral ocean features. However, the majority of implemented marine spatial management approaches remain static. One potential reason for this is the disruptive nature of dynamic ocean management approaches that requires a fundamentally new paradigm that embraces change instead of permanence, and requires technology to ensure ongoing implementation and review. Here we discuss the history, present state, and future of dynamic ocean management, focusing on both voluntary and mandatory tools and exploring the barriers and bridges towards their implementation. Some of the first examples include voluntary tools such as TurtleWatch implemented in 2007 and mandatory tools such as for southern Bluefin Tuna bycatch avoidance used from 2003-2016. More recently, species distribution models have been introduced that that can predict fundamental habitat for bycatch species to aid in avoidance and maintenance of sustainable harvest goals, such as for sturgeon in Delaware Bay (Eco4Cast) and multi-species bycatch in the California swordfish fishery (EcoCast). Understanding the governance arrangements in places where tools have been successfully implemented in concert with the state of resources at the time of implementation could aid our ability to both identify new industries that would benefit from dynamic ocean management, and to develop a blueprint for how best to introduce such disruptive technologies can best aid marine management in the future.