Mid-Atlantic Council Seeks Contractor to Operationalize Ecosystem and Habitat Indicators to Support Fisheries Management
The Mid‐Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) is seeking a highly qualified contractor to develop priority ecosystem and habitat indicators and identify management processes, documents, and/or actions where these indicators can be integrated to support management decisions. The proposal submission deadline is May 30, 2025.
Background: Providing fisheries managers with timely, relevant, and actionable climate information has been identified as a critical need and an area of recent focus, both regionally and nationally, and was an action item recommended as part of the East Coast Climate Change Scenario Planning effort. The Council, in collaboration and coordination with regional science and management partners, have made significant advancements to identify, develop, and communicate ecosystem information that affects its managed fisheries and fishing communities. Since 2017, the Council has annually reviewed the Mid-Atlantic State of the Ecosystem report and its Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) risk assessment to identify how ecosystem interactions and drivers might risk meeting management goals and objectives. While these efforts have been beneficial and are a positive step forward, incorporating this information into fisheries management remains a challenge. To date, this information has primarily been used in strategic planning, as fishery managers have struggled to effectively incorporate it into tactical decision making.
This project would improve the integration of ecosystem and habitat indicators into Mid-Atlantic Council management decisions by conducting a comprehensive review of existing information, developing (or refining existing) priority indicators, and identifying how to integrate this information into management processes.
Scope of Work: The contractor(s) will compile and document existing ecosystem and habitat information and indicators in the Greater Atlantic region and work with managers, stakeholders, and scientists to identify management objectives that can be supported with ecosystem information. The contractor(s) will also develop scientifically rigorous indicators and recommend specific pathways for incorporation into Council management processes, documents, or actions.
Additional Information: Complete details about the project, contractor qualifications, and proposal submission instructions can be found in the request for proposals (RFP) linked below.
Source: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council
