Exploiting the gold mine of acoustics for integrated ecosystem assessments

Mark Dickey-Collas

@DickeyCollas

Acoustics symposia and ecosystem

Trenkel poster 2015

ecosystem

Define ”ecosystem approach”!

Ecosystem approach

FAO continuum of commitments, 2003EU marine strategy framework directive,

common fisheries policyUSA national ocean policy, MSARussia maritime doctrine 2020CA, NO, AU see Sainsbury et al 2014

http://www.fao.org/fishery/topic/13261/en

Ecosystem approach principles

Ecosystem approach principles

Long et al., 2015. Key principle of marine ecosystem-based management. Marine policy 57: 53-60

Definitions, definitions, definitions

cour

tesy

J. L

ink

Enter the word ”integrate”

Integrated monitoring and surveys

Integrate science into management advice

Integrate across disciplines

Integrate across sectors

Operational - ”integrate”

1. Focus on relationships & processes within ecosystem2. Enhance benefit-sharing3. Use adaptive management practices4. Carry out management actions at the scale

appropriate for the issue, with decentralization.5. Ensure intersectoral cooperation.

https://www.cbd.int/ecosystem/operational.shtml

Integrated ecosystem assessments (IEA)

Dis

cipl

ines

Sectors

Governance

In addition to the complexities of the ecosystem

Integrated ecosystem assessments (ICES)

Provision of joined-up evidence to address society’s need to manage anthropogenic pressures on the marine ecosystem.

Exploring the space for decision making.

Wicked problems

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el &

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973,

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an 1

976

Provide the evidence for societal..

TRADE OFFS

Searching for the golden fleece?

Problem is not understood until after the formulation of solution

Define the question, set your bounds

Scoping high order and operational objectives

Discuss limits to IEA

Allow progress - integrated not exhaustive ecosystem assessment (Rochet 2014)

Example

Partnership: fishing industry, scientists, eNGOs, policy developersTrenkel et al. 2015

Co-production of knowledge

IMARES scientists pretending to look clever

We use knowledge

Veracity of evidence

Evidence of differing integrity, sources & certainty.

Learn to integrate the more certain with the less certain, combine across management objectives and show tradeoffs

MORE THAN

Water quality, untrawlable habitat, seabed integrity

Foodwebs- space, scale & behaviour

In EU – Marine strategy framework directive

Assumes clear pressure-state relationships

APSR- Activity-Pressure-State-Response e.g. Greenstreet et al., 2009

DPSIR - Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response e.g. Gimpel et al., 2013

Solution clear – set a target

Operational indicators for management

Pelagic example

Aver

age

F/FM

SY

Celtic Seas pelagic stocks North Sea pelagic stocks

mackerel, horse mackerel, blue whiting, herring, sprat, sandeel

Shephard et al. 2014 Assessing the state of pelagic fish communities within an ecosystem approach & MSFD

Are all anthropogenic pressures so clear?

• often insufficient evidence to define targets & support assessment of state

• links to anthropogenic pressures are weak or not sufficiently well understood to underpin specific management advice

What pressures impact?

Can we set targets?

Surveillance indicators

Not expected to directly track state in response to changes in pressure,

Provide complementary information (including warning signals) that informs and supports science, policy and management.

Risk based approach

Not monitoring for monitoring sake

Carefully targeted surveillance

Need to link to management objectives

Set bounds that trigger action

Trade off – knowledge and action

Shephard et al. submitted. Surveillance indicators and their use in implementation of the MSFD

take actioncheck pressuresreview knowledge

take actioncheck pressuresreview knowledge

Visiting a gold mine of data and knowledge

ACOUSTICS

Piles of treasure

So back to my title:

Tips for acoustic scientists on exploiting the gold mine: integrated ecosystem assessments.

IEAs are greedy for knowledge

We help provide the evidence base to inform management decisions.Improving and sharpening that evidence is important

but it is not the whole story

Important transfer of acoustic expertise

Expertise in combining data from different sources

Integrating new technologies

Integrating space and time into analysis

Importance of behaviour and interactions

From science to IEAs

Learn to talk across disciplines- build common language

Integrate work with partners and stakeholders

Practice creating simple messages

Data aids but is not knowledge

Remember it is WICKED!

Contribution of acoustics to IEA & management

Science for sustainable seas

Thank you