Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries and Aquaculture

Fisheries and aquaculture face many threats that reduce their potential to contribute to sustainable development. Addressing these issues requires a different way of managing both sectors.

On the one hand, fisheries should be managed beyond the single-species approach, considering their interactions with the entire ecosystem to promote sustainable use of the system itself. Similarly, aquaculture must consider its potentially strong interactions with the ecosystem. Both marine and inland aquaculture can have an impact on ecosystem integrity, which should be addressed from a holistic perspective.

The goal of this research line is to provide fisheries and aquaculture managers with the best available scientific information to ensure the conservation and effective management of living aquatic resources, thereby contributing to sustainable development.

We are committed to applying an ecosystem approach to the management of marine resources, while providing an integrated ecosystem assessment to maintain ecosystems in a healthy, productive and resilient state: a state in which they can provide the services our society requires.

To achieve this, we focus on developing and applying multispecies and ecosystem models, investigating fishing-induced adaptive changes and mitigating bycatch. We study the best mechanisms for implementing the ecosystem approach in aquaculture, including the development of multitrophic aquaculture. Finally, we provide scientific advice to management bodies, to productive sectors dependent on the marine environment and to third countries through international cooperation programs.