Update on Species and
Quantitative Ecosystem Teams
The Menhaden Species
Team has completed its work.
Final
editing on the Menhaden issue briefs has been completed and submitted for
packaging and distribution.
The Menhaden
issue briefs package will be mailed to the Quantitative Ecosystem Teams (for
inclusion in binder) and emailed as a PDF and posted on the website.
The next step is for the QETs to review and
discuss these briefs, focusing on how the issues within may be addressed.
The
Blue Crab Species Team issue briefs are currently being submitted to the
EBFM Interim Coordinator for the final editing and review process.
Once all briefs have been submitted and
edited, they will be distributed to the QETs for review and discussion.
The
Alosine Species Team will be meeting for the first face-to-face meeting as
a group on September 17th and 18th in College Park, MD to
develop their work plan and timetable for completion of issue briefs.
The Stock Assessment
and Habitat Suitability Quantitative
Ecosystem Teams are in the process of planning meetings for September to
review their progress and prioritize team activities for the coming months.
The
Foodweb Quantitative Ecosystem Team held their second meeting on August 5,
2009 and their next meeting is scheduled for September 28th.
Team members have prioritized several activities and assigned leaders to formulate proposals
detailing data, staff, and funding needs required for completing these
activities. Their proposals are due on October 13, 2009.
The
Socioeconomics Quantitative Ecosystem Team held their third meeting on
August 12, 2009 and their next meeting is scheduled for September 15th.
The team continues to refine a Human Ecology
Map they developed to assist in visualizing humans within the Chesapeake Bay
ecosystem.
The MD Sea Grant Summer
Intern is conducting a Stakeholder Interview, using an interview instrument
designed to assess diverse stakeholders’ views on the status and changes that
have occurred on the Bay.
This interview
process is ongoing and updates will follow.
Below, Kelley Appleman, the QET’s support staff, provides a detailed perspective
summarizing a full report on consumer preferences for eco-labeling seafood and
its potential implications for EBFM in the Bay.
This exciting product will be distributed via email and posted
on the web.
Next month’s perspective will address social network
analysis and its potential uses for EBFM in the Chesapeake Bay.
Perspective: A Review of Consumer Preferences for Eco-labeled Seafood: Potential Implications for Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) species in the Chesapeake Bay
Kelley H. Appleman,
PhD Candidate, University of Delaware
College of Earth,
Ocean and Environment
The concept known as “eco-labeling” is a market-based
technique used to highlight the environmentally friendly aspects of a product’s
production process.
With food products
in particular, it can be used to address a variety of aspects that contribute to
sustainable production such as, soil and water conservation practices or
responsible fisheries management.
An
eco-label can also be used to address the safety and physical aspects of a
product’s production such as the use of harmful pesticides or growth
hormones.
Currently, eco-labeling is a
voluntary procedure and the criteria for each individual food product is
dependent upon the established standards of a third party certification agency.
The main goal of an eco-labeling program is
to provide consumers with all the relevant product information in order to make
a well-informed purchase decision.
A review of the literature on consumer preferences for
eco-labeled seafood managed under a single species regime revealed several
important conclusions about consumer behavior.
Results from several of the studies showed that the average seafood
consumer, and in some cases the average general consumer, was willing to pay a
higher premium for an eco-labeled product.
Other attributes that affected the purchase decisions were the
consumer’s general knowledge of the fishing industry, acceptance of the
certifying agency, and the consumer’s environmental purchase patterns.
As of today, there are no known studies of
eco-labeling initiatives that address a multi-faceted management scheme like
Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management.
Given that there are five species (striped bass, blue crab, Eastern
oyster, Atlantic menhaden, Alosines) targeted for EBFM in the Chesapeake
Bay, what might an eco-labeling program that addresses the interaction between
these species and their environment look like and what are some of the
potential implications?
One of the first steps in the design and implementation of
an eco-labeling initiative to address EBFM is to understand the individual
market for each seafood product.
For
example, blue crab, striped bass, and Eastern oysters are all available in
markets and restaurants, while menhaden are inedible to humans.
For example, instead of eco-labeling menhaden directly, it would be more useful to eco-label a product that uses
menhaden in its production process.
Another component in the successful implementation of a seafood
eco-labeling program is the general description of the label and what it means
in terms of sustainability. The introduction of EBFM to the consumer presents some additional complexities that would need to be clearly defined and well thought out. It’s important
that the consumer is able to connect the seafood product with the management
practice of the targeted species.
In
order to increase the efficacy of the eco-labeling program, another important
consideration includes the establishment of a policy initiative or directive
that would accompany the eco-label.
Overall, there is great potential for an eco-labeling program that would
target EBFM species, where the program’s success ultimately depends on consumer
acceptance and belief that the management scheme will lead to a sustainable
fishery.
Relevant News
EBFM Interim Coordinator:
Please welcome Ms. Alesia Read who
will be serving as MDSG’s Interim EBFM Coordinator while Shannon Green is away
to care for her new daughter. Alesia is a graduate student at the University of
New Hampshire working with VA Sea Grant Director, Troy Hartley.
Alesia will be focusing specifically on the
coordination of species and quantitative ecosystem teams.
She can be reached by email
(aread@mdsg.umd.edu) or by phone at MDSG at:
(301) 405-6372.
New Book Includes Bay Case Study:
Ecosystem-Based Management for the Oceans,
Karen McLeod and Heather Leslie, Editors, Island Press, May 2009, 392 pp.
Nineteen
chapters by distinguished experts describe what it means to manage our oceans
and coasts as ecosystems. At the book’s heart lie the concepts of social and
ecological resilience — the extent to which human and natural systems can
maintain function in the face of disturbance. The Chesapeake Bay provides one
powerful case study, with a chapter by Donald F. Boesch and Erica Goldman, and
another by Lisa Wainger and Jim Boyd. For more information, visit:
