Integrating economics into fisheries science and advice: progress, needs, and future opportunities
Olivier Thébaud, J. Rasmus Nielsen, Arina Motova, Hazel Curtis, François Bastardie, G E Blomqvist, Fabienne Daurès, Leyre Goti, Jorge Holzer, James Innes, Angela Muench, Arantza Murillas, Rasmus Nielsen, Renato Rosa, Eric M. Thunberg, Sebastián Villasante, Jarno Virtanen, Staffan Waldo, Sveinn Agnarsson, David Castilla Espino, Richard Curtin, Geret DePiper, Ralf Doering, Hans Ellefsen, J J García del Hoyo1, Sophie Gourguet, Peter Greene, Katell G. Hamon, Alan C. Haynie, Julie B. Kellner, Sakari Kuikka, Bertrand Le Gallic, Claire Macher, Raúl Prellezo, J Santiago Castro-Rial, Klaas Sys, J.A.E. van Oostenbrugge, Berthe M. J. Vastenhoud
Abstract
Abstract While the science supporting fisheries management has generally been dominated by the natural sciences, there has been a growing recognition that managing fisheries essentially means managing economic systems. Indeed, over the past seven decades, economic ideas and insights have increasingly come to play a role in fisheries management and policy. As an illustration of this, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has been actively seeking to expand the scope of its scientific expertise beyond natural sciences [another inter-governmental marine science organization which has done this over the same period is the North Pacific Marine Science organization (PICES)]. In particular, the recently created ICES Working Group on Economics set out to review current work and key future needs relating to economic research and management advice on marine capture fisheries. This article presents the results of this review and addresses how economic research can be incorporated into the science of ICES to provide integrated perspectives on fisheries systems that can contribute to the provision of advice in support of policy development and management decision-making for sustainable uses of living marine resources.