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Ecological risk assessment for the effects of fishing
Citation
Hobday, AJ and Smith, ADM and Stobutzki, IC and Bulman, C and Daley, R and Dambacher, JM and Deng, RA and Dowdney, J and Fuller, M and Furlani, D and Griffiths, SP and Johnson, D and Kenyon, R and Knuckey, IA and Ling, SD and Pitcher, R and Sainsbury, KJ and Sporcic, M and Smith, T and Turnbull, C and Walker, TI and Wayte, SE and Webb, H and Williams, A and Wise, BS and Zhou, S, Ecological risk assessment for the effects of fishing, Fisheries Research, 108, (2-3) pp. 372-384. ISSN 0165-7836 (2011) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Crown copyright 2011
DOI: doi:10.1016/j.fishres.2011.01.013
Abstract
Management of fisheries around the world is challenged by fishing impacts on habitats, bycatch species,
threatened and endangered species, and even associated ecological communities. One response to these
other factors has been a call for ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM), which demands consideration
of the above non-target interactions. A challenge with implementation of EBFM is the scale and
range of issues to be considered, all of which cannot be addressed at the same level of detail as for target
species, due to data or time constraints. We developed an approach to progress the EBFM mandate in
Australia, using a new ecological risk assessment framework applied to fisheries, termed Ecological Risk
Assessment for the Effects of Fishing (ERAEF). Novel features of this framework include its hierarchical
structure and its precautionary approach to uncertainty. The amount of information required increases
through the hierarchy, and allows application in data-limited situations. The ERAEF framework has been
applied to over 30 fisheries in Australia and elsewhere. The efficiencies in application of the hierarchical
approach are illustrated by the south-east otter trawl fishery, where following Level 1 assessment of all
components, an initial set of 600 species and 158 habitats was reduced to a group of concern of 159
species and 46 habitats using the Level 2 analysis, with the number of species of concern further reduced
to 25 following Level 3 analysis. As a result of the assessments in Australia, management actions have
been enacted for a range of the high risk species. Overall, the ERAEF approach offers a realistic method to
assess ecological risk in an EBFM context, and has applicability in a wide range of fisheries. The interactive
and inclusive nature of the approach also has the advantage of bringing stakeholders, scientists and
managers together to develop management solutions.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | ERAEF, Australian fisheries, ecological risk assessment, data limited fisheries |
| Research Division: | Biological Sciences |
| Research Group: | Ecology |
| Research Field: | Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology) |
| Objective Division: | Environmental Management |
| Objective Group: | Terrestrial systems and management |
| Objective Field: | Assessment and management of terrestrial ecosystems |
| UTAS Author: | Daley, R (Mr Ross Daley) |
| UTAS Author: | Ling, SD (Dr Scott Ling) |
| UTAS Author: | Sainsbury, KJ (Professor Keith Sainsbury) |
| ID Code: | 75070 |
| Year Published: | 2011 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 306 |
| Deposited By: | IMAS Research and Education Centre |
| Deposited On: | 2012-01-06 |
| Last Modified: | 2017-05-29 |
| Downloads: | 14 View Download Statistics |
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