Ecosystem Approach for Fishery Management
An Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) or Ecosystem Based Fishery Management (EBFM) is an integrated fishery management approach across coastal and marine areas and their natural resources that promotes conservation and sustainable use of the whole ecosystem.
An approach to fisheries management and development that strives to balance diverse societal objectives, by taking into account the knowledge and uncertainties about biotic, abiotic and human components of ecosystems and their interactions and applying an integrated approach to fisheries within ecologically meaningful boundaries. The purpose of EAF is to plan, develop and manage fisheries in a manner that addresses the multiple needs and desires of societies, without jeopardizing the options for future generations to benefit from the full range of goods and services provided by marine ecosystems.