The Gulf of Maine supports a vital fishery for North America and is one
of the most intensely studied marine ecosystems in the world. An
understanding of its ecology has practical applications to management of
other marine systems and fisheries. This book is the first application
of Hierarchy Theory to the ecological workings of the Gulf of Maine and
of marine ecosystems in general. Hierarchy Theory offers a perspective
that simplifies the apparent complications and contradictions of
ecosystems, which encompass a number of scales of time (from minutes to
decades or longer) and of space (from centimeters to kilometers).
Spencer Apollonio explores in detail the idea of natural constraints
inherent in hierarchical ecosystems and the impact upon such systems
when constraints are reduced or removed. He argues that conventional
fisheries management, which practices the removal of these constraints,
may be doomed to failure. Apollonio focuses in particular on the
"groundfish crisis" in the Gulf, the precipitous decline due to
overfishing in populations of cod, haddock, pollock, hakes, and various
types of flounders, which have together constituted the mainstay of the
Maine fishing industry for centuries. Hierarchical Perspectives on
Marine Complexities presents a compelling case for a new approach that
holds the promise of resource sustainability in the face of enormously
complicated natural and cultural forces.