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IMA supports an ecosystem approach to fisheries management

IMA was asked by FAO-supported Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystems project (BOBLME) to develop an innovative interactive training course on an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM). This moves away from fisheries management systems that focus only on the sustainable harvest of target species, towards systems and decision-making processes that balance environmental well-being with human and social well-being, within improved governance frameworks. Such a sustainable approach to fisheries management is much needed in the Asia-Pacific region where there are conflicts between marine resource users. In conjunction with USAID-funded Coral Triangle Support Partnership and National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, as well as regional FAO staff, IMA is developing a course, which will be piloted and rolled out in the Asia-pacific region. The course will be targeted at fishery and environment staff at the provincial/state and district/local levels, who are reponsible for administrating fisheries in the marine coastal environment in which they operate.

Silvia Capezzuoli and Chris Grose facilitated a joint Writeshop in Phuket, Thailand, to review a first draft of the course materials. Representatives of the different agencies worked together to draft a course which can be equally relevant to Pacific Islanders as much as to fishing communities and national fishery agencies in South East Asia. Prior to the Writeshop, FAO and BOBLME had been working on one course for the Bay of Bengal countries, while NOAA and CTSP had been developing their own curricula for the Coral Triangle region. A key success of the Writeshop was to integrate the different agencies' perspectives into one joint course which will now have their full support of their respective funders. This integrated and standardised training package will allow these regions and others to support sustainable fisheries management for food security, livelihoods, economic growth, and biodiversity conservation.

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