Development

V. 1.0 of the EBM Framework was developed and tailored for DFO use through a collaborative, interdisciplinary and intersectoral process. It is supported by Canadian Government policy, DFO policy and international commitments.

Workshops

Task Groups

Led by the collaborative

Research Projects

Indigenous Ways of Knowing

The EBM Framework (Version 1, 2023) explicitly acknowledges the interconnections between ecology and the human dimensions of fisheries and oceans management (economics, social, cultural and governance). The EBM framework builds on two existing approaches:

1) The Maritimes Ecosystem Approach to Management (EAM) framework, developed in the 2000s, with origins in single species fisheries management (11), and

2) The Canadian Fisheries Research Network (CFRN) Sustainability Framework (8)

Additionally, an extensive review of DFO’s existing legislation and policies across the breadth of DFO’s mandate as they relate to EBM and the four pillars of sustainability: ecological, economic, social/cultural and governance was done (12).

Workshops

Three development workshops were held between 2019 and 2022 to inform the collaborative development of the EBM Framework.

Workshop I

Developing a Consensus Ecosystem Based Management (EBM) Framework to assess the cumulative impacts of fishing

Workshop II

Incorporating social, cultural and governance aspects

Workshop III

Reuniting the four pillars

17-19 December 2019

25-29 January 2021

25th - 26th Jan, 8th Feb, 2022

Workshop I Report

Workshop II Report

Workshop III Report

•Reviewed 2008 EAM framework & elements of the CFRN Framework.

•Merged the Two Frameworks into a new Maritimes Region EBM Framework

•Participants included DFO staff

Outcomes:

•Engage externally in areas where DFO lacks expertise

•Engaged with specific external expertise to further develop the Social/Cultural and Governance elements of the Maritimes EBM Framework

•Participants included DFO Staff

•Re-united the 4 pillars of the Maritimes EBM Framework to develop a comprehensive tool to support sustainable, holistic decision making

•Participants included DFO EBM WG and internal/external task group members working on each of the 4 Pillars

Task Groups

Interdisciplinary task groups made up of both internal DFO staff and leading Social Science and Humanities (SSH) experts were formed after Workshop II (2021) for each of the four Pillars of the EBM Framework. These groups helped to identify important concepts, theories and considerations and craft meaningful objectives which completed the comprehensive scope of the Framework.