An ethical approach to fisheries through Ecosystem-based Management Strategy Evaluation and value assessment

Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) for fisheries relies on a formal process of numerical simulations to explore the risks of alternative management protocols, but at the same time MSE is mandated to include the preferences,... [ view full abstract ]

Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) for fisheries relies on a formal process of numerical simulations to explore the risks of alternative management protocols, but at the same time MSE is mandated to include the preferences, attitudes and values of stakeholders, often determined in participatory community meetings that advise on fishing regulations. These two features, encompassing both ecological uncertainty and societal approval, render MSE well suited for ethical seafood governance. First, quantitative models used to explore scenarios are usually based on single species, while a stronger ethical footprint results from credible ecosystem-based MSE protocols. Second, there is a lack of methods designed to evaluate objectively the values and social factors to be included in any ethical consensus concerning the management of a fishery. A case study from a conflicted herring fishery in Haida Gwaii, Canada, has attempted to address both of these issues using a novel Value and Ecosystem-based Management Approach (VEBMA). A dynamic ecosystem model, fitted to data and simulating the food web of herring prey and predators, was employed in an MSE analysis of the impacts of alternative herring fishery management scenarios on important species in the ecosystem, such as marine mammals, seabirds and salmon. Interviews of stakeholders and citizens affected by the fishery, including local and indigenous communities, and herring fishers, revealed their preferences for alternative fishery management scenarios and evaluated the fundamental values underlying their choices. VEBMA is making marine science matter by broadening the focus of sustainable fisheries management to encompass ethical governance