Ecosystem services and socio-economic impacts
Ecosystem services is a term used frequently in ecology, but is not necessarily appreciated by the public and other stakeholders. It is incumbent upon the scientific community to integrate the concept of ecosystem services into ecosystem-based discussions. Similarly, oceanographic research frequently ignores social sciences. Yet, for stakeholders (e.g. the fishing community) the impacts of limiting fishing activity are immediate on their livelihood but may have long-term benefits for the industry. These are difficult management choices. Socio-economic implications are a component of management decisions and are challenging to effectively address.
Another component of management decisions is identifying the impacts and risk assessments needed to address not only the effect of decisions on fishing activity, but also on the ecosystem. Natural disasters, such as storms and human-mediated disasters such as oil spills, global warming, and invasive species incursions also need to be better understood in the context of fisheries management.
Mapping process and habitat classification
A habitat classification scheme, including the water column, would effectively integrate oceanographic data with geospatial information. This would be a major step in developing a functional equivalency of habitats for both areas that are fished and those that are not. Land-based habitat classification has several models that may be transferred to marine environments. One approach that has application to marine systems is gap analysis and habitat fragmentation impacts. Use of this approach could lead to improved habitat classification schemes and would permit improved comparisons of distribution of resources with habitat types.
These are promising approaches; however, universal habitat classification is not likely to happen in the short-term. While data collection continues in the absence of a habitat classification scheme, it is critical to ensure that meta-data standards are applied to all information collected. This is the only way the data will stand the test of time and can be applied and re-applied to evolving habitat classification schemes.