Effective fishery management harmonizes society’s needs for ocean conservation, jobs, and healthy coastal economies. To help current and future leaders achieve this goal, the Fisheries Forum will:

• Build leadership and problem-solving skills
• Increase understanding of fisheries and ocean science, economics and policy
• Help decision makers learn from successes and challenges in other regions
• Offer ongoing tools, experts and professional networking to assist participants in their work

The Fisheries Leadership and Sustainability Forum is a partnership between the Nicholas Institute, Stanford’s Woods Institute and Center for Ocean Solutions, and Environmental Defense Fund. As a policy-neutral organization, the Fisheries Forum facilitates communication between councils and support networking between council members and experts in fisheries science, law, policy and economics. Our goal is to help members of the regional councils enhance their understanding of the science, economics and policies integral to fisheries management.

More information about our partnership, mission statement and staff >

The Fisheries Forum holds semi-annual forums, which are open to all council members. Each forum explores a topic that is timely and relevant across all regions, and includes presentations from leading experts and agency officials. Past topics have included bycatch, ecosystem-based management, and scientific uncertainty/risk in fisheries management. Summaries and agendas from past Forums are archived.  Videos and presentations from the May 2010 Forum on scientific risk and uncertainty are now available.

In addition to the regularly scheduled forums, the Fisheries Forum provides ongoing support in the form of innovations reports, research and policy analysis, expert referrals, and regional workshops. Additional information and resources from ongoing support requests, including videos, powerpoint presentations, workshop summaries and agendas, and research documents are available on our website.