Nowadays, there is a lack of agreement on the interpretation of the 'sustainability' and 'yield' components of the MSY concept and on the effects that achieving MSY for one stock may have on other stocks and on broader ecological and social systems. The MYFISH project will address these ambiguities by evaluating different MSY objectives, conditional on different kinds of constraints (ecosystem, economic, social) and with different kinds of management measures to achieve the objectives. MYFISH aims at developing new MSY indicators that can ensure high levels of fishery yield while respecting ecological, economic and social sustainability thus contributing to achieve the Good Environmental Status (GES) foreseen in the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD).
Setting targets and limits for long-term fisheries management is at the core of ICES work as well as of highest priority in fisheries management research. The implementation of the MSY approach, the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management and the upcoming European Landing Obligation has forced fisheries scientists to turn to advising on the setting of targets for ecosystems rather than single species. To provide decision-makers with sufficient information, reliable information on the effect of setting specified targets and limits is required. To produce this information, an integrated, interdisciplinary understanding of the structure, dynamics and response of marine ecosystems to change is required as is the relationship between fishing activities and marine ecosystems. In support of these goals, the symposium will provide an opportunity to look at:
- latest progress on what aspects of yield) can be maximized under MSY management
- how limits to ecosystem, economic, and social sustainability should be defined
- conflicting objectives and trade-offs and suggestions for decision-making
- the role of targets and limits in a changing world
- economically and socially feasible management tools and implementation of fisheries targets in practice
Organized by MYFISH, an EU-funded project under FP 7, the symposium builds directly on the ICES efforts to define the MSY approach for interacting stocks, define limits to sustainable exploitation of the ecosystem, and to include socioeconomic considerations in advice. By targeting a global international audience, the symposium will promote the exchange of knowledge on these topics both within ICES and between ICES and other international organizations such as the FAO and PICES.
