@NOAA Fisheries  

Ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) is a holistic way of managing fisheries and marine resources by taking into account the entire ecosystem of the species being managed. Many different kinds of regulations can be used to manage fishing, including TAC, the output control that China and many other countries are promoting. Compared with TAC, EBFM is an ambitious proposal to more effectively manage fish populations and their ecosystems. Geng Shuang, China’s deputy envoy to the UN, emphasized recently when addressing the General Assembly that China will employ EBFM for application and scaling-up of ecological and environmental-friendly fishing. To promote EBFM in China, NRDC, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Qingdao Marine Conservation Society co-hosted a training on December 17. The training invited international experts to give a comprehensive introduction of laws, policies and guidelines of EBFM and two case studies in the US. More than 90 fishery officials, scientists, and researchers attended the online training.