Transdisciplinary Fisheries Research: Improving and Diversifying Management Techniques

A research station monitors spawning sockeye salmon on their way from the Okhotsk Sea into Kuril Lake. (Credit: Igor Petrovich Shpilenok via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0)

Fishery managers across the world are all too familiar with the challenge of balancing the various demands of a multi-use fishery resource. As a result, a 2022 study published in Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries proposes that transdisciplinary fisheries research is necessary to solve the “wicked problem.” 

Management challenges arise from attempting to meet economic, recreational, and municipal demands for water resources while protecting and preserving the natural ecosystem. As a result, management approaches that consider the ecosystem as a whole rather than focusing on a single use are considered to be the most effective strategies.

What is Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management

In simple terms, NOAA defines ecosystem-based fishery management (EBFM) as “a holistic way of managing fisheries and marine resources by taking into account the entire ecosystem of the species being managed.”

The ultimate goal of ecosystem-based management is to maintain a healthy, productive, and resilient ecosystem while protecting and considering critical ecosystem services. EBFM flips traditional fishery management approaches on its head and focuses on the entire system rather than a target species in isolation. 

EBFM leverages existing and emerging information and technology to assess all variables that play a role in ecosystem health. For example, instead of only placing catch limits on a target species to improve population sizes, the ecosystem-based solution would look at pollution, stocking efforts, invasive species, and other possible hazards that are causing declines. 

In order for EBFM to be successful, researchers and managers must pull from a variety of resources to develop a well-rounded management strategy.

The Need for Transdisciplinary Fisheries Research

While some issues fisheries face may have a straightforward solution, the 2022 study highlights that some require managers to “transcend science” by drawing on outside expertise and knowledge. By including more interest groups, management can better attend to the needs of the community.

Successful EBFM requires managers to go beyond biological considerations and truly listen and examine the social, ecological, economic, and institutional dimensions of fisheries. 

In order to do this, the roles of scientists have changed—facilitating the need for researchers to become fluent in various disciplinary languages, learn complex communication skills, navigate criticisms, and learn how to combine and uphold the validity of multiple knowledge types respectfully. 

Conclusion

As the name implies, transdisciplinary fisheries research tasks researchers and managers to reach beyond their immediate sphere and work with outside groups. Local and indigenous groups who have relied on water resources bring important insight into management strategies and additional perspectives on fisheries.