Adaptive Management Applications in U.S. Fisheries and Approaches to Analysis of Adaptive Management Programs Under the National Environmental Policy Act With Example Applications in Terrestrial Resource Management Scenarios

Abstract

The ever-changing conditions of U.S. fisheries require dynamic and adaptive management measures to ensure sustainability of target species and the industries which rely on them. Challenges of implementing such measures, as they relate to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, often revolve around a need to fully analyze any number of predictable alternative outcomes in a thorough and thoughtful manner while avoiding the production of truly encyclopedic supporting documents. In fisheries management such outcomes may evolve within varying temporal boundaries, as is the case for species-specific rebuilding plans. Compounding issues may arise when: there is a lack of economic or biological data; there are uncertainties in data that do exist; or many complex regulations for the same fishery/species are implemented in quick succession limiting the amount of data carried forward from one regulation to inform the development of another. The term “adaptive management” (AM) can take on various meanings depending upon its application. In fisheries management, AM could be defined as a useful management tool in situations where current and future biological and management uncertainties exist. Using AM strategies in this application can have many benefits; however, it can also create a very high number of permutations of reasonable alternatives making the associated NEPA analysis complex and lengthy. The objective of this report is to explore the biological and socioeconomic advantages of using AM strategies in fisheries management, outline potential difficulties of building a strong NEPA analysis for AM actions, and explore how other federal and state agencies are using AM.