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MAFMC Visioning Project . Brief Review of Stakeholder Input on Forage Issues . Stakeholder Data Gathering. Data Collection Methods. Stakeholder Input. All three stakeholder groups recognized the importance of forage species
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MAFMC Visioning Project Brief Review of Stakeholder Input on Forage Issues
Stakeholder Input • All three stakeholder groups recognized the importance of forage species • Importance of recognizing species interactions (predator/prey dynamics) also very important • However, concerns and perspectives of each group differed
Commercial • Conservation of some predatory species of fish (i.e., bluefish, dogfish, striped bass) may be having adverse impacts on forage species and other important fisheries like summer flounder and weakfish • Consider predator-prey dynamics more comprehensively during the management process
Recreational • There is excessive pressure on forage species due to the number of predators and the commercial overfishing in forage fisheries • Focus on rebuilding all forage species to ensure recreational opportunities for the future
ENGO Summary • Ongoing depletion of forage species is a serious concern (many forage species remain unmanaged) • Predator-prey dynamics need to be more fully-integrated in to management plans and/or the Council should develop an ecosystem plan that provides a framework for incorporating ecosystem considerations into the Council process. • .
Summary • Conservation of forage species recognized as an important objective in Council’s ecosystem approach to fishery management by all stakeholder groups • Predator-prey dynamics • Strategies to deal with these issues depends on stakeholder perspective