Sub-Regional Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management Plan for the Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape

Abstract

The Sub-Regional Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management Plan for the Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape was designed to enable the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion (SSME) to achieve a common fisheries management vision by 2030. The plan is the first known sub-regional EAFM plan in fisheries management literature; it includes specific management goals, objectives, and management actions to be undertaken by relevant governmental agencies, non-governmental partners, and multi-lateral/regional organizations focused on fisheries management and biodiversity conservation in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The plan is an entirely voluntary agreement and all proposed management actions are ‘offered’ (i.e., contributed) and ‘maintained’ at the discretion of each participating nation implementing the plan.

The plan was developed through a collaborative process led by the USAID Oceans and Fisheries Partnership (USAID Oceans), with its partner the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), and in participation with relevant national fisheries agencies, fisheries management experts, and non-governmental partners. As a priority Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security’s (CTI-CFF) seascape, the Sub-Regional Plan was finalized and endorsed by the CTI-CFF’s member countries and their EAFM and Seascape Working Group in December 2018.