Request for Proposals: SAFMC Climate Response for Data-Limited Fisheries
Proposal Submission Deadline: January 15, 2025
Climate change presents a myriad of challenges to fisheries managers, particularly in cases where species are data-limited and have been identified as highly vulnerable to environmental change. Understanding and accounting for potential climate impacts is fundamental to formulating effective and sustainable fisheries management based on the best scientific information available (BSIA). The Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) highlighted the specific need for additional information to support updated catch-level recommendations. Data limitations for many of the Council’s managed species resulted in the SSC using landings only approaches for over 25 stocks in the South Atlantic region. Since the catch levels were originally set in 2012, new techniques have become available and may provide a more robust basis for catch recommendations. This project seeks to address these challenges and needs using a stakeholder-driven management evaluation framework to develop management recommendations for a data-limited and climate vulnerable species currently managed by the Council.
The use of stakeholder-driven management evaluation frameworks is improving the ability of managers to address data-limited species in the context of environmental change and including stakeholder needs for the fishery. The Council is tasked with developing fisheries management plans that meet the sustainability requirements, both biologically and economically, of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Many of the management decisions made in the past assumed some level of environmental stability, however, it is now necessary to account for observed and future environmental changes, and for increased uncertainty in the decision-making process. These new stakeholder-driven management evaluation frameworks provide a science-based methodology for determining sustainable harvest levels in support of informed decision making. Importantly these methods can account for data-limitations and incorporate climate information to clarify uncertainty and result in adaptive management and more resilient fisheries. A key to their success is the engagement of stakeholders to identify and define fishery goals to guide the development and implementation of effective management strategies.
The candidate species identified by the Council for evaluation are brown rock shrimp (Sicyonia brevirostris) and wreckfish (Polyprion americanus). Both species are managed by the Council, are data-limited, and have been demonstrated as being vulnerable to environmental change. In a recent climate vulnerability assessment of species from the South Atlantic Large Marine Ecosystem, brown rock shrimp were ranked as having high climate vulnerability and are predicted to experience negative impacts to productivity or abundance because of changing climate. [1] In a separate study that assessed drivers of the wreckfish fishery collapse in Brazil, warming sea surface temperatures were identified as a contributing factor, indicating climate vulnerability of this species. [2] These two fisheries are also ideal due to the relatively small size (less than 10 active vessels in the commercial fishery).
The contractor will develop a report detailing the tool applied, process followed, input parameters, findings, and recommendations. The Contractor will present this information, including management recommendations to the Council for approval.
More information on the scope of work, project timeline, applicant qualifications, and how to apply, can be found in the request for proposals (RFP). Proposals are due January 15, 2025.
[1] Burton et al 2023. A Climate Vulnerability Assessment for Fish and Invertebrates in the United States South Atlantic Large Marine Ecosystem. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SEFSC-768.
[2] Verba, Julia Tovar, Maria Grazia Pennino, Marta Coll, Priscila F.M. Lopes, 2020. Assessing drivers of tropical and subtropical marine fish collapses of Brazilian Exclusive Economic Zone, Science of the Total Environment. 702: