Ecological Risk Management

A key initiative driving the implementation of ecosystem based fisheries management (EBFM) in Commonwealth managed fisheries is the implementation of an ecological risk management (ERM) framework. The framework details a process for assessing and progressively addressing the impacts that fisheries’ activities have on five aspects of the marine ecosystem including:

• target species,
• bycatch and byproduct species,
• threatened, endangered and protected (TEP) species,
• habitats, and
• communities.

Risk assessments are the foundation of the framework. The results of risk assessments for each fishery will assist in prioritising and guiding research, data collection, monitoring, and future management decisions.

About Ecological Risk Assessments
How AFMA develops and implements risk assessments and the ERM framework can be found here.

Risk Assessment Reports
Risk assessments and AFMA’s strategy to address the results of these assessments have now been developed for a number of Commonwealth fisheries. Reports for specific fisheries are available here.

Page last updated 14 August, 2008