Search this site

Aims

Policy and Ecosystem Restoration in Fisheries (PERF) is a research group devoted to an integrative approach in restoring aquatic ecosystems and ensuring that they are fished sustainably. Tony Pitcher and his team use historical and traditional knowledge, cognitive science,  ecosystem simulations, participatory workshops that foster a sense of ownership, and ecological economics and biodiversity to evaluate the trade-offs associated with  policy options.

PERF aims to develop new integrative tools for ecosystem-based management, and to devise and evaluate policies, including the human dimension, for the restoration of aquatic ecosystems. As a part of this research theme, the group also considers a cognitive  perspective on restoration ecology and policy.

Image

Bueckalaer   Draught of Fishes   1563





TOOLS AND APPROACHES     We have developed a variety of ecosystem-based simulation models, holistic indicators, and policy analysis techniques that can help estimate, mitigate and reverse human impacts on the environment.



FERR members are involved in building  ecosystem models for a variety of locations worldwide, in order to aid the understanding of likely outcomes of alternative policies to fishery scientists, managers and other stakeholders. 'EwE' and 'Atlantis' models are used.






The group has pioneered the 'Sea Ahead'approach (formerly known as ‘Back to the Future'), an initiative that employs historical analysis, participatory workshops, and traditional knowledge to evaluate policy goals that reconcile biodiversity and services with sustainable and responsible fisheries. The group has also worked on exemplars of special types of ecosystems such as Seamounts and Coral Reefs.



FERR members have developed an interdisciplinary rapid appraisal method for evaluating the status of fisheries known as “Rapfish’. It has been used to assess the sustainability of fisheries, compliance with the UN Code of Conduct,   IUU, and a number of other issues.

We have also recently been working on an Ecosystem Evaluation Framework (EEF) that can be used to quickly assess the status of knowledge and function of examples of key key ecosystem types such as seamounts and coral reefs.