Scaling an EAFM at the Sub-Regional Level: Catalyzing regional and national actions in the Sulu-Sulawesi seascape

Abstract

The establishment of appropriate fisheries management mechanisms is vital to ensuring the sustainability of the fishery resources and long-term food security in the Southeast Asian region. By adopting an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM), the ecological and human well-being aspects of fisheries would also be addressed. However, for an EAFM to be effective, management scales must be considered and broadened. Transitioning toward an EAFM often involves “scaling up” or “scaling down” fisheries management, and there are various scales across which an EAFM can be applied depending on the goal and objectives of management including political, governance, ecosystem, fishery, and human use, as seen through the regional example of the Sub-regional Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape EAFM Plan.