With the aim of contributing to the advancement of ecosystem-based management for decision-making in the national fisheries sector, a team of researchers from the School of Marine Sciences (ECM) at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso (PUCV) and the Fisheries Development Institute (IFOP) are developing an innovative decision support tool within the framework of a FONDEF IDEA R&D 2026 project.
The two-year project is titled: “Decision Support Tool to Support the Implementation of the Ecosystem Approach in the Management of National Fisheries: The Case of Demersal Fisheries.” The purpose of this project is to develop a decision support tool, or dashboard, based on key performance indicators (KPIs) related to biology, ecosystems, production, economics, and social factors. This will expand and strengthen the application of the ecosystem approach to national fisheries management, advancing the integration of the human dimension and emphasizing the measurement of the biological, ecosystem, economic, and social impacts of implemented fisheries management measures.
At IFOP, the project is led by the Department of Economics and Statistics (DEE), with additional participation from the Departments of Resource Assessment (DER), Fisheries Assessment (DEP), and Oceanography and Environment (DOMA).
In this regard, Camilo Torres, Head of the Economics and Statistics Department at IFOP, emphasizes that progress in this area will significantly contribute to the information available for decision-making in our sector. He explains that considering socioeconomic aspects is fundamental for sound fisheries management, especially given the interaction of people, markets, and countless productive relationships with other sectors of the economy. Therefore, this project aims to contribute to this effort, integrating the socioeconomic component of fisheries management into the biological and operational data.
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