DS-Both: from ecosystem modelling to Decision Support for fisheries and marine wildlife management in the Gulf of Bothnia

One of the benefits and challenges of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAFM) is that it explicitly considers trade-offs between different stakeholder priorities, balancing human (i.e. socioeconomic) and ecological needs.Following the recovery of the Baltic seal populations, seal-fisheries interactions have increased, and concerns have been raised on the potential conflicts between the seal conservation objectives and the fishing sector.

At present, there is a strong need for tools to investigate trade-offs between the management of fisheries and marine mammals throughout the Baltic, also under the uncertain effects of climate change on predators and preys.We propose to use a multidisciplinary approach integrating data science, ecological theory, multispecies modelling and decision analysis to develop a quantitative analytical framework for decision making in the context of EAFM.With the direct involvement of relevant stakeholders, a first prototype of the framework will be tested to evaluate the consequences of alternative integrated management strategies of fisheries and marine mammals for the Northern Baltic Sea by explicitly accounting for foodweb interactions, the effects of a warming environment and potentially conflicting stakeholders’ interests across a wide range of ecosystem services.