Written by Tyler Loughran (Climate Policy Analyst, Azura Consulting)

14 March 2024

Last week, I attended the 9th World Fisheries Congress in Seattle, Washington, along with fisheries professionals from around the world for a week of knowledge-sharing on issues related to fisheries conservation and management. Members of the scientific community, industry, and managers presented their latest research efforts throughout a variety of forums. As a Climate Policy Analyst working in support of the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Management Division, I relished the opportunity to gain and share insights with fisheries scientists and managers facing the same issues in different settings. 

My focus was drawn to the many presentations, posters, and panels centered on evaluating climate change impacts to species and ecosystems and applying those findings to fisheries management. The week began with a workshop hosted by FishSCORE2030, a UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development project aiming to build a global network of scientists, fishing sector members, practitioners, and policy experts charged with co-developing approaches to sustainably manage marine fisheries and ecosystems in light of climate change. During the workshop, we had a chance to connect with NOAA staff, including Chief Scientist Dr. Cisco Werner, in addition to domestic and international fisheries managers and researchers. Presentations on current efforts to build climate resilience, vulnerability assessments, and co-development of knowledge and tools guided discussions on how to increase resilience within our fisheries resources and management structure. A presentation on the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Climate Vulnerability Assessment (HMS CVA) provided insight on the methodology and current state of NOAA Fisheries CVAs and highlighted past successes in applying CVAs to management, emphasizing that we are always seeking new uses and applications for climate-focused tools. 

The remainder of the week was spent attending presentations and connecting with staff from many of NOAA Fisheries’ offices, including the Office of Science and Technology and Southeast Fisheries Science Center. Senior Scientist for Ecosystem Management, Dr. Jason Link, gave several talks on the development of ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) within NOAA Fisheries. These talks were followed by presentations on case studies and new approaches to incorporating EBFM, including a presentation by Dr. Howard Townsend on using investment portfolio analysis to manage trade-offs and risks within fisheries stocks. Other notable events included the NOAA Fisheries Stock Assessment and Climate, Ecosystems, and Fisheries Initiative Collaboration, where stock assessment scientists engaged in discussions on the challenges of incorporating climate change and EBFM into assessments that drive management actions within domestic fisheries. Scientists highlighted that many tools to assess ecosystem health and track significant climate-driven events are in place now but lack on-ramps into management. This emerged as a major theme throughout the conference when discussing climate and EBFM, emphasizing the importance of developing on-ramps for management applications at the inception of a project. This is further emphasized by the creation of the HMS CVA, which was presented on the last day of the conference as part of the ‘Managing fisheries in a world of shifting stocks’ session. The HMS CVA was developed by managers for managers, with discussions already taking place about where it can be applied throughout management of Atlantic HMS. 

In addition to climate and EBFM, shark depredation emerged as a major topic throughout the conference. A presentation by Karyl Brewster-Geisz provided a summary of the actions NOAA Fisheries has taken to address shark depredation in addition to present challenges. The global aspect of shark depredation was apparent during a workshop hosted by researchers from the United States and Australia. During the workshop, facilitators taught participants about a new fuzzy logic cognitive mapping tool that can analyze how key concepts related to shark depredation are linked and affected by each other. Drawing these connections and visualizing impacts can help inform decision-making processes, underscoring the trade-offs managers may face between ecosystem health, conservation, and stock status. The 2024 World Fisheries Congress provided invaluable opportunities to connect with and learn from fisheries professionals throughout the world. As a team, we look forward to continuing conversations and applying what we’ve learned to our climate and EBFM efforts, beginning with the HMS CVA and a new NOAA Fisheries EBFM Roadmap currently in development. Identifying and carving pathways for climate and ecosystem information into management is a priority across NOAA Fisheries, and requires the collaboration of managers, scientists, and industry alike.