Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) is vital to achieving sustainable fishing. Amid growing competition for ocean space, delivering on its potential will require innovative and tailored spatial management approaches that address the combined pressures of both fishing and climate change on marine ecosystems.
This brief consolidates SEAwise’s assessment of the impact of existing and potential spatial management scenarios across our case study regions of the North Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Western Waters region. This brief specifically focuses on exploring the impact and feasibility of ‘fit-for-purpose’ areas, designed on the basis of protecting critical habitats and threatened species. Beyond this, by assessing potential changes to the spatial distribution of fish and fisheries under climate change and modelling the impact of essential fish habitat restoration, SEAwise has advanced knowledge to inform spatial management design that is both fit-for-purpose and fit for the future.
Read the full policy brief here.
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