Abstract
This book presents edited contributions to the Conference on Implementing the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries, organized by the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Governments of Iceland and Norway, with technical support of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, held in Bergen, Norway from 26 to 28 September 2006. Considered as a follow-up to the 2001 Conference on Responsible Fisheries in the Marine Ecosystem, organized jointly by Iceland and the FAO, and with the co-sponsorship of Norway, the Bergen Conference aimed at reviewing concepts and addressing implementation issues related to applying the ecosystem approach to fisheries. Furthermore, experiences made and constraints encountered so far could be exchanged, including strategies and best practices that will facilitate further implementation in practical fisheries management. The chapters presented in this book have been peer reviewed to help verify factual information and improve the clarity of presentation. Topics include: the Bergen Conference on implementing the ecosystem approach to fisheries (Bergen, Norway, 26-28 September 2006); the concept of the ecosystem approach to fisheries in FAO; the ecosystem approach of the convention on biological diversity; the large marine ecosystem approach to marine resources assessment and management; ecosystem-based management of marine capture fisheries: not a theoretical concept but useful operational reality!; the human side of the ecosystem approach to fisheries management: preliminary results of an FAO expert consultation; research requirements of an ecosystem approach to fisheries; implementing an ecosystem approach to fisheries management: lessons learned from applying a practical EAFM framework in Australia and the Pacific; benefits and costs of implementing the ecosystem approach to fisheries; creating incentives for the ecosystem approach to fisheries management: a portfolio of approaches; fisheries assessment and decision making: towards an integrated advisory process; the ecosystem approach to fisheries management: an industry perspective; ecosystem approach to management: definitions, principles and experiences from implementation in the North Sea; management plan for the Norwegian part of the Barents Sea Ecosystem; ecosystem-based fisheries management in Iceland: implementation and some practical considerations; the implementation of the ecosystem approach to fisheries management in the Benguela Region: experiences, advances and problems; implementing the ecosystem approach in Australian commonwealth (federally)-managed fisheries; the ecosystem approach to fisheries management in the USA; and are the Lake Victoria fisheries threatened by exploitation or eutrophication? towards an ecosystem-based approach to management.