Towards an integrated ecosystem-based management: What is

necessary in Chile?

JC Quiroz

División de Investigación Pesquera

Instituto de Fomento Pesquerojquiroz@ifop.cl

Using Target and Limit Reference Points in Low-Trophic Level Fisheries

Small-pelagic fisheries

Anchovy northern

Anchovy northern-central

Anchovy and common sardine

central-southernFuegian sprat

The Chilean fisheries management (1/2)

The small-pelagic case

The exploitation strategies have been done through

annual Total Allowable Catches (TAC's)

Based on reference fishing mortality

Using an overall exploitation criterion

P(Ft>F60%)<0.1

Two reviewing TAC processes a year

DecemberThe National Council of Fisheries, adopted the Total Allowable

Catch (TAC)

February1st review TAC

Finish recruitment closed period

June2nd review TAC

Full fishing season

AugustStart reproductive

closed period

September (30)Start fishing season

JanuaryRecruitment

surveys

April-MayAutumn surveys

Stock Assessmentanchovy

common sardine

The Chilean fisheries management (2/2)

Others important low-trophic level fisheries

Crabs, squat lobsters and shrimps species

December agreement on the TAC’s

Based on reference exploitation rate (µ=Y/B)

Using an overall exploitation criterion

P(µt>[0.12-0.17])<0.1 (decline biomass)

P(µt>[0.12-0.17])<0.5 (stable biomass)

… has been done via only mono-specific stock assessment models and trend over the surveys biomass estimates

Nevertheless, several papers have called attention about trophic interactions and community structure of commercial fishery species off Chile

But, some drawbacks emerge …

Until now, the management …

Neira et al. (2004)Ecological Modelling

The problem is:

“Searching the Ecopath ratios”

In Chile, the knowledge on fundamental P/B, Q/B, EE, DC ratios is

fragmentary at best

Impacts of both fishing and Dosidicus gigas predation on the projections of Chilean

hake

…What about the cycles and the correlation-time structure?

Predation-prey interaction

While these work undoubtedly will contribute to the knowledge ecosystem, it is still necessary to guide them towards a common goal, the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF)

How it can be put into practice?

From scientific observer and monitoring programsCath, effort, length, reproduction, by-catch,

misreport, species proportion, etc.Target and not-target speciesOthers observations

number of dead birds caught in longlinewhale sighting

Developing Ecological Indicators for Fisheries Management

From fishery-survey methodsAcoustic (small-pelagics, others pelagics,

demersal)Trawl (crustaceans)

fishery-independent time series dataAggregations’ measurements Biological data (larval, length, weight, sex by

specie)Acoustic characterization of the aggregationsOceanographic data

Developing Ecological Indicators for Fisheries Management

… two purposes are identified to managing the impacts of fishing on marine ecosystem:

performance measurement of the management objetives

It can be used as a part of decision rules to determine adaptive management

Ecological indicators …

Fulton, E. A., Smith, A. D. M., and Punt, A. E. 2005. Which ecological indicators can robustly detect effects of fishing? e ICES Journal of Marine Science, 62: 540-551.

Evaluation

Community Diagnostic

using operating

models(several

species / not while

ecosystem)

Ecological indicators

… Is necessary an Integrated Ecosystem Monitoring , Diagnostic and Evaluation(like single-species fishery management , these represent my own view)

Why?

and sorry if I make any English mistake

Thank you