Paradigm shifts required to promote ecosystem modeling for ecosystem-based fishery management for African inland lakes

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• 作者：Laban Musinguzi ; ^{labanmusinguzi@firi.go.ug} ; Vianny Natugonza ; Richard Ogutu-Ohwayo
• 关键词：Ecosystem-based fishery management ; Ecosystem modeling ; Africa ; Great Lakes ; Inland lakes
• 刊名：Journal of Great Lakes Research
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：February 2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：43
• 期：1
• 页码：1-8
• 全文大小：556 K
• 卷排序：43

文摘

Ecosystem-based fishery management (EBFM) is the best option where other fishery management objectives have failed. This makes EBFM important for the African inland lakes and fisheries resources that are among the most threatened in the world despite existing management interventions. Ecosystem modeling provides information that guides EBFM, and, to promote EBFM for the African inland lakes and fisheries, we present strategies required to promote ecosystem modeling. The strategies are based on an examination, presented herein, of (i) publication trends in literature applying two leading aquatic ecosystem modeling platforms, Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) and Atlantis, on the African Great Lakes as representatives of African inland lakes and (ii) deficiencies in data eminent in ecosystem models existing on these lakes. The examination indicated that ecosystem modeling is inactive on the African Great Lakes, and there is limited local and regional capacity for ecosystem modeling with existing models predominantly led by foreign researchers and marred by data deficiencies. The implications of these observations for ecosystem modeling and EBFM for the African Great Lakes are discussed. The strategies required to promote ecosystem modeling include supporting short-term training workshops to equip local scientists with basic skills for ecosystem modeling, mainstreaming ecosystem modeling in fisheries training curriculum of local universities, and conducting data collection surveys to fill data deficiencies. These are envisaged to increase capacity and activate ecosystem modeling, and consequently promote EBFM.