Ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) has not been widely adopted, despite its potential to increase the many benefits humans derive from the oceans. A new report from the Lenfest Fishery Ecosystem Task Force proposes to help remedy this with a blueprint for a “next generation” of Fishery Ecosystem Plans (FEPs), envisioned as a more action-oriented version of an existing mechanism in the U.S. system.

Scientists have completed a new model to more fully explore options for managing Atlantic menhaden, the largest fishery on the East Coast. The model’s main strength is its ability to quantify trade-offs, such as the trade-off between harvesting menhaden and leaving it in the water as food for predators. It was built specifically for menhaden and is the only tool available to evaluate trade-offs across all species in the ecosystem.