Food and Fertilizer Technology Center - About

1. Rationale

The Essential Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) Training course is the result of a unique partnership involving several regional organizations such as the UN-FAO, Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem (BOBLME), US Coral Triangle Initiative, Asia-Pacific Fishery Commissions and IMA International, among others. This represents a move away from fisheries management systems that focus only on the sustainable harvest of target species, towards systems and decision-making processes that balance environmental well-being with human and social well-being within improved governance framework. For many, these are new skills and the EAFM course responds to the need for regional capacity development in this regard. 

In the Philippines, PCAARRD has successfully conducted 5 EAFM training courses and 3 Training of Trainers on EAFM since 2013.

The training course on EAFM is a 5-day training program that aims to provide basic knowledge on the ecosystem approach to fisheries management process and how this can assist in the decision-making for responsible and sustainable fisheries in their respective country.  The course focuses on the development of professional planning, analytical and interpersonal skills needed for better structured and more informed decision-making.  The course will also assist current and future fisheries managers to ensure that their approach to fisheries management is ecologically sound and properly accounts for human need, while promoting good governance.   EAFM can be applied to any fisheries system.  Teaching material focuses on Asian coastal marine capture fisheries, but by changing the focus and examples, it could easily be applied to inland or offshore fisheries as well aquaculture.  The principles and the approach to management planning are the same.

2. Objectives

●Understand the concept and need for Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) for better management of capture fisheries
●Acquire skills and knowledge to develop, implement and monitor the “EAFM plan”
●Draft an EAFM plan and an individual action plan

3. Major Findings and Recommendations

• Provide a practical planning approach through EAFM that allows prioritization of issues to be undertaken within the practical realities of local conditions and capacities.
• Craft a structured governance framework to proactively address the underlying issues on resource management by taking a more thoughtful long-term perspective to planning and management.
• Identify the stakeholders in the process of developing the EAFM plans to generate greater support for and ownership of the resulting decisions.
• Create engagement opportunities with higher level authorities to increase political commitment to the EAFM plan in order to enable its recognition and institutionalization.
• Provide a framework through EAFM that would open doors for stakeholder dialogue and greater understanding and trust among science, resource management and the fishery sector.
• Employ the “co-management” approach as an alternative to “top-down” management.
• Use the principles of EAFM to pave the way for constructive dialogue and find solutions for mitigating problems especially those that require solutions outside the fishery sector.

Group photo