Session: S-183
Simple solutions to complex fisheries impacts on ecosystems

Recoveries of historically-depleted marine mammals and other protected species are increasingly common. Yet threats abound to these and other populations still in jeopardy from a variety of human activities. Well-known examples involve impacts of fisheries on seabirds, entanglement of whales in derelict gear that is left at sea to ghost-fish, and unintended consequences of hatchery supplementation programs on anadromous species and dependent... [ view more ]

Recoveries of historically-depleted marine mammals and other protected species are increasingly common. Yet threats abound to these and other populations still in jeopardy from a variety of human activities. Well-known examples involve impacts of fisheries on seabirds, entanglement of whales in derelict gear that is left at sea to ghost-fish, and unintended consequences of hatchery supplementation programs on anadromous species and dependent predators. Still, there are several instances in which workable solutions have allowed for conservation wins without the sacrificing of marine livelihoods, cultural values, or economic gain. Three include fishing gear modifications like turtle excluder devices, marine protected areas used in lieu of weak stock fisheries management, and dynamic ocean management approaches that use real-time remotely sensed data to avoid marine uses in hot spots of protected species abundance. In this symposium we invite presentations that review case studies, theoretical developments, and analytical tools focused on the vexing problem of reducing interactions between protected species with fisheries or other human activities. Promising approaches for data-poor contexts are especially welcome. The goal is to generate a synthetic understanding of what is working and what is not with an eye toward scaling and replicating marine conservation solutions.