Troy W. Hartley

Cooperative Research Program Goals in New England: Perceptions of Active Commercial Fishermen

Abstract Cooperative fisheries research will continue to expand throughout the United States with the 2007 reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which called for the development of regionally-based cooperative research programs nationwide. We report on a survey of individuals actively engaged in commercial fishing in New England (N = 295) that asked how important and achievable cooperative research programmatic goals are and why. One goal, “the promotion of partnerships between fishermen and scientists,” was particularly important to fishermen because partnerships are believed to be in everyones interests, enhance the quality of the science, lead to better management decisions, improve the professional relationships between fishermen and scientists, and speak to a fishermens sense of professional duty. However, fewer respondents considered the partnership goal achievable because of a wide range of obstacles. Based upon the findings and published studies on the perceptions of scientists and manger...

Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management in the Chesapeake: Developing Functional Indicators

ABSTRACT A step-wise approach to implementing ecosystem-based fishery management (EBFM) offers both a tractable policy opportunity and feasible set of scientific responsibilities in ongoing efforts to incorporate ecosystem dynamics into fisheries management. This case study of oysters in the Chesapeake takes a regional approach and utilizes a fishery species that is a popular menu item, an important habitat for other fish species, and a cultural touchstone in the area. From grounding in ecosystem service policy goals and a survey of stakeholders from across industry, management, science, and community groups, we developed eight indicators that are meant to serve as a first-order check for EBFM. We evaluated these indicators based on data availability, spatial coverage of the whole region, and relevance to ecosystem service goals. Spatial integration of indicators addressing chemical, biological, social, and economic factors, allows identification of localities within the region that require more attention, either by scientists or policymakers, in order to meet EBFM goals.