“Looking at the big picture.” Sunset over the Pacific Ocean, Rialto Beach, Washington, March 2008. Photo by Charles Fowler.
DR. CHARLES W. FOWLER OF THE SYSTEMIC MANAGEMENT STUDIES PROGRAM of the Center’s National Marine Mammal Laboratory is a leading proponent of an alternative form of management called “systemic management.” Among its objectives are the restoration and preservation of biodiversity that contribute to a healthy biosphere, sustainable ecosystems, and sustainable interactions among all species. Integral to these objectives is a revolutionary management approach that both accounts for the evolved nature of natural systems (based on empirical models) and finds sustainability in the selectivity and intensity of fishery harvests.
Conventional metrics of overfishing indicate that one quarter of the world’s fisheries are depleted or overharvested as reported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The systemic approach to fisheries management takes a holistic view of the issues facing fisheries managers today. The following feature article condenses and highlights a vast literature on systemic management.
