Tana Worcester

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Ecosystem-Based Management on the Eastern
Scotian Shelf.
ESSIM

• Tana Worcester
• Centre for Science Advice
• Maritimes Region, Canada

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The ESSIM Area
a shared commitment to work together for our
ocean and our future
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ESSIM Objectives

• Maintain
• Biodiversity
• Productivity
• Habitat

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Ecosystem Objectives
Conserve community diversity and habitat
integrity.
Prevent introduction spread of invasive species.
Maintain a healthy trophic structure.
Protect and recover species-at-risk.
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Lessons Learned

• Broad objectives can be useful.
• Should be relevant across a range of scales and
  activities.
• Dialogue between science, managers and
  stakeholders is essential.
• Objectives will evolve over time.
• Dont get bogged down in semantics!

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Habitat Characterization
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Ecologically Significant Species and Areas
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Lessons Learned

• Ecosystem characterization is useful in
  developing scientific understanding.
• It is also time and resource intensive.
• How will it be used for management?
• e.g., development of an ecosystem model to be
  used in scenario testing?
• e.g., development of a decision-support tool for
  conflict resolution?
• e.g., used in MPA network design?

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Impact Analysis
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Lessons Learned

• Lots of information available on the impacts of
  specific activities still work to be done.
• Cumulative effects are harder to monitor, map and
  evaluate.
• GIS can be a helpful tool for impact analysis and
  decision-making, but need better georeferencing
  of human activities.
• Need indicators that apply across a variety of
  activity types.

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Indicators and Reference Points
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Lessons Learned

• Long-time series data are a valuable resource
  use what you have.
• Determine what types of information managers
  actually use to make decisions.
• Trends or rates of change can be useful when
  limits and thresholds arent known.
• Weight of evidence approach can provide a strong
  basis for decisions.
• However, theory/modelling is also required.

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DFO Maritimes Science Role

• Provision of chemical, physical and biological
  data.
• Oceanographic modelling.
• Research on impacts aquaculture, fisheries
  (by-catch, benthic impacts), oil and gas.
• Data management.