Marine Fishery and Habitat Interactions: To What Extent are Fisheries and Habitat Interdependent?

The scientific literature unequivocally supports the premise that fisheries affect an ecosystem by altering the flow of ecological capital. This article reviews the ecological rules that define this flow and discusses the consequences of current fishery practices on habitat integrity and fish production in marine systems. The impact of fishing is a function of its intensity and severity relative to other perturbations in the oceans. Its impact also has to be explained at appropriate temporal and spatial scales and, unfortunately, there is often a mismatch between fisheries data and many ecological processes. Groundfish, in particular, depend on the benthos for their shelter and sustenance, so feedback loops inevitably exist between fish production and the biological community within which fish are both predators and prey. The difficulty for fishery managers is to predict the direction, let alone the magnitude, of fishing‐induced changes on these feedback mechanisms. The challenge for habitat researchers is to develop a quantitative predictive capability given a particular management protocol, but until this is accomplished, it is incumbent on managers and scientists alike to apply the precautionary approach to all management decisions by using current ecological theory to guide this process.