The U.S. Ecosystem‐Based Fisheries Management Policy and Road Map: Assessing Progress and Applying Lessons Learned

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Abstract
The need for ecosystem‐based fisheries management (EBFM) is growing more urgent as environmental changes, species shifts, new ocean uses, and other factors force oceans toward novel states. In the United States, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) developed an EBFM Policy in 2016, accompanied by a Road Map of 49 action items, to support marine ecosystem‐based management and conservation of fisheries, habitats, and protected species under U.S. federal jurisdiction. In 2024, NOAA Fisheries updated its EBFM Policy and Road Map and formed a team of science and policy experts to review progress and derive lessons learned during the first Road Map iteration. Four key lessons emerged: (1) progress toward EBFM in the U.S. has been substantial; (2) greater coordination could further enhance progress; (3) more effort is required to link science to management activities; and (4) human dimensions need greater integration throughout EBFM implementation. Enabling factors for progress on the Road Map included: champions at both the leadership and staff levels; use of participatory processes; motivation driven by ecosystem shocks and threats; and leveraging existing processes and frameworks. The updated EBFM Road Map supports historic and ongoing efforts to implement U.S. laws through improved coordination, integration, and knowledge exchange and can help to address many urgent challenges facing U.S. marine fisheries, habitats, and protected resources.

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