Call for Abstracts: Gulf of Maine Symposium

The Gulf of Maine Symposium: Advancing Ecosystem Research for the Future of the Gulf will take place October 4-9, 2009. All individuals involved in scientific and policy/management activities that support the future management of the Gulf of Maine are invited to submit titles and abstracts for consideration as an oral or poster presentation. The deadline for submitting abstracts is April 30, 2009. 

The symposium is organized by the Regional Association for Research on the Gulf of Maine (RARGOM), in collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans Canada St. Andrews Biological Station (DFO SABS), Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), Communication Partnership for Science and the Sea (COMPASS), and Gulf of Maine Census of Marine Life (GoMA/CoML) program. They invite research scientists, managers, policy-makers, and stakeholders to present and discuss the research needed to protect and manage the Gulf of Maine ecosystem for the future. 

Workshop – The Practice and Potential of EBM

Last week, I attended a workshop in Portland, Maine, called “The Practice and Potential of Ecosystem-Based Management: Applying lessons from land use and coastal management in Maine.” The workshop was sponsored by the Wells (Maine) National Estuarine Research Reserve, Maine Coastal Program, Maine Sea Grant, and the University of New England Center for Sustainable Communities. Participants included approximately 40 people who work in an EBM-related capacity at government agencies and non-governmental organizations.

Click here for the agenda

The workshop organizers have posted notes from the workshop: http://www.ecobasedmanagement.blogspot.com/

Update on Northeast Regional Ocean Council (NROC)

In quite a few meetings and conference calls, I’ve heard people ask what the Northeast Regional Ocean Council (NROC) is and what it’s doing. Usually they’ve only heard that it was set up a couple years ago by the governors of the northeastern states to advance regional ocean management. Other than that, NROC seems to be a mystery to lots of people engaged in ocean management and policy. NROC (apparently) doesn’t have its own website, and googling turns up surprisingly little info. To shed some light on the matter, here are documents that describe NROC’s purpose and activities: Update on NROC (Sept 2008), NROC Report to Governors (October 2007), and Oceans Resolution (June 2007). Here’s an excerpt from the 1st document, dated Sept 2008:

In 2005 (and subsequent years) the NEGC/ECP [New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers] passed resolutions that created and provided direction to the Oceans Working Committee (OWC). (In the initial resolve they created the Northeast Regional Ocean Council to serve as the US component of the OWC.) The geographic extent of the OWC initiative is from Newfoundland – Labrador to Connecticut.

Gulf of Maine Science Symposium in the works

The Regional Association for Research on the Gulf of Maine (RARGOM) has begun to plan a major symposium to be held in 2009. The Gulf of Maine Science Symposium will have sessions and presentations on the state of scientific knowledge about the Gulf of Maine, management of marine resources, and future needs for science and management. It’s envisioned as a gathering of policy makers, managers, marine industry, natural scientists, social scientists, and non-governmental organizations. The symposium will take place October 4-9, 2009, in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. DFO/St. Andrews Biological Station, Gulf of Maine Research Institute, and COMPASS are convening the symposium in collaboration with RARGOM.

Ecology of the Northeast Continental Shelf

Here’s a handy 24-page booklet written by Michael Fogarty of NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center. Info ranges from fairly basic to more advanced — something for everyone. Well written and useful beyond fisheries. Nice illustrations showing how the ecosystem functions.

Ecology of the Northeast Continental Shelf: Toward an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (PDF, 996 KB)

Table of Contents: Foreword; Monitoring the Ecosystem; Ecosystem Drivers; Fueling the Ecosystem; Habitat and Benthos; Life in the Water Column; Fish Communities; Food Habits; Protected Resources; The Steps Ahead