| Summary: | Ecosystem indicators are part of a larger process that considers policy-level goals for an ecosystem.Other elements include operational objectives and performance criteria. The eastern Bering Sea isadvanced in application of ecosystem-based considerations to the management of marine resources. Forinstance, an Ecosystem Considerations appendix is prepared by the Alaska Fisheries Science Center(AFSC) each year for the annual Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) reports published bythe North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC). This report is reviewed annually byNPFMC’s plan teams and Scientific and Statistical Committee, and scientific advice is provided annuallyto managers based on ecosystem trends relative to managed fish species. Similarly, the North PacificMarine Science Organization (PICES) prepared a North Pacific Ecosystem Status report in 2004 and isbeginning to plan for an updated version of this report. Both reports can be improved by developingconsensus on operational objectives and appropriate indicators.Progress toward operational objectives and development of appropriate indicators was made byconducting the following four activities during an international workshop held on June 1–3, 2006, inSeattle (Washington, U.S.A.):1. Involve the Bering Sea and international communities in developing of a set of operational objectivesfor the southeastern Bering Sea ecosystem;2. Evaluate two status reports with the goal of integrating results and streamlining the presentation. Thetwo reports are:a. NPFMC. 2005. Appendix C: Ecosystem Considerations for 2006. North Pacific FisheryManagement Council, Anchorage, Alaska (http://access.afsc.noaa.gov/reem/EcoWeb /index.cfm);b. PICES. 2004. Marine Ecosystems of the North Pacific, PICES Special Publication 1, 280 p.(http://www.pices.int/publications/special_publications/NPESR/2005/npesr_2005.aspx);3. Investigate methodologies that monitor system-wide structural changes within the marine ecosystem;4. Identify steps to validate indicator performance, improve ...
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