Abstract
EcoGIS: GIS Tools Supporting Ecosystem Approaches to Fisheries Management Track: Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management Author(s): Christine Harvey EcoGIS is a suite of customized tools for spatial analysis and decision support addressing common issues facing marine scientists and fisheries managers. Using pilot projects to aid in the development of fishery ecosystem plans for Fishery Management Councils on the east coast, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, in collaboration with NOAA National Ocean Service, is taking advantage of GIS to develop tools to facilitate spatially-explicit ecosystem approaches to fisheries management. Potential issues examined for tool development include measuring impacts due to altering boundaries of areas closed to fishing; monitoring and reducing bycatch; defining ecologically relevant boundaries; and characterizing areas based on essential fish habitats, habitat areas of particular concern, critical habitats, gear impacts, and species life state distribution. This effort is unique in both its collaborative nature and spatial extent--from the Gulf of Maine through the Gulf of Mexico. Christine Harvey NOAA NOS 1305 East-West Highway Silver Spring , MD 20910 US Phone: (301)713-3028 Fax: (301)713-4384 E-mail: christine.harvey@noaa.gov |
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