EcoCast: Using dynamic ocean management to support fisheries sustainability

A fundamental challenge in fisheries is how to balance profitable target catch with conservation of non-target species, like sea turtles or cetaceans. Traditional management measures, like time area closures, have focused on limiting fishing access during fixed time periods in designated fishing areas. An emerging approach, called dynamic ocean management, is working to support fishing economies and protected species conservation by developing data-driven maps that change in response to changing ocean or market conditions. These maps give fishing vessels the real-time data they need to make better decisions of where and when to fish and represent innovations in fisheries management.