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FishSmart: An Innovative Role for Science in Stakeholder‐Centered Approaches to Fisheries Management
Author(s) -
Miller Thomas J.,
Blair Jeff A.,
Ihde Thomas F.,
Jones Robert M.,
Secor David H.,
Wilberg Michael J.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
fisheries
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.725
H-Index - 79
eISSN - 1548-8446
pISSN - 0363-2415
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8446-35.9.422
Subject(s) - workgroup , stakeholder , fisheries management , stock assessment , fishery , business , fisheries law , environmental resource management , fisheries science , stakeholder engagement , stakeholder analysis , environmental planning , political science , geography , public relations , economics , fishing , computer science , computer network , biology
Until recently, marine fisheries managers have predominately interacted with a single user group—commercial fisheries. However, changes in participation in fisheries and progress toward ecosystem‐based approaches have introduced new stakeholders into the management process. Yet, there are few examples of successful approaches of how to engage the spectrum of stakeholders interested in management policy and decisions. Here we describe one such approach that was used in the fisheries for king mackerel ( Scomberomorus cavalla ) along the U.S. southeast coast. The approach combined consensus building in facilitated workshops and decision analysis in which stakeholders could compare the consequences of alternative management options on trends in the king mackerel population and the fisheries it supports. The process resulted in a workgroup of stakeholders that developed a clear vision for its desired future of king mackerel fisheries and several alternative management options. Decision analysis was used to select the best options that were then recommended to the South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (SAFMC). These options were more conservative than the council's own recommendations. Additional benefits of the process included stakeholder education, both in stock assessment methodology and in an understanding other stakeholder positions, and the development of closer cooperation among stakeholders and managers.