Ecology of the northeast continental shelf: Toward an ecosystem approach to fisheries management

In this booklet we describe the general concept of ecosystem-based management, the types of information available for the Northeast Continental shelf, and how we gather this information. To understand the ecosystem we need to consider factors such as climate and oceanography, habitat requirements, the biology of the system from the microscopic plants (or phytoplankton) at the base of the food web to the top predators (including humans), and the connections among all of these parts. We address each of these elements in turn to provide some of the background information that will be necessary to move toward an ecosystem approach to management.