André Monaco is Emeritus Director of Research for the French national center (CNRS). His research interests concern marine sedimentology and geochemistry. He was responsible for several French and European programs and has been guest editor for four special issues in international journals. Patrick Prouzet is Director of Research focusing on the ecosystem approach of Ifremer in France. He specializes in the biology and dynamics of anadromous fish such as Atlantic salmon and eels. He is the author and co-author of several works on these species or on estuary fishing.

• Foreword  xiChapter 1. For a Systemic and Transdisciplinary Approach to the Environment  1André MONACO, Patrick PROUZET and Patrick VINCENT1.1. Introduction 11.2. A complex and vulnerable ocean system 41.3. Suitable observation tools  91.3.1. For a systemic vision of the ocean 101.3.2. To assess our vulnerability to global change 111.3.3. The contribution of operational oceanography  131.3.4. New technologies applied to the living world  151.4. Conclusion 161.5. Acknowledgments 171.6. Bibliography  17Chapter 2. Vulnerability to Global Change: Observation Strategies for the Marine Environment  19Patrick FARCY, Gilles REVERDIN and Philippe BERTRAND2.1. Introduction 192.2. Marine environment observation strategies  202.2.1. Parameters to measure  212.2.2. Measurement techniques with wide-ranging applications 252.3. Some large observation domains  282.3.1. The open sea  282.3.2. The coastal and littoral ocean  302.3.3. The ocean floor: substratum and population 362.4. Satellite contribution to observation strategies  422.5. In situ observation 452.5.1. Lagrangian measurements at the surface and in the water column 452.5.2. Eulerian measurements 562.5.3. Other significant parameters  602.6. Observation strategies 642.6.1. The “observatory” approach  642.6.2. Some examples of the complementariness of the measurements taken by networks 662.6.3. What’s the point of modeling? 672.7. What next? 692.8. Bibliography  72Chapter 3. Fishing Technology for Fisheries Research 75Pascal LARNAUD and Benoit VINCENT3.1. Introduction 753.2. The methods employed to measure selectivity  773.2.1. What is selectivity?  773.2.2. The tools employed to measure meshes  793.2.3. The case of trawls 813.2.4. Fishing nets and other gear 893.3. The tools and observation methods of fishing gear 943.3.1. Hydrodynamic tank test 953.3.2. Submarine video recording 993.3.3. Measurement tools in the domain of fishing technology  1033.4. Computer simulation tools  1043.5. Perspectives  1083.6. Bibliography  109Chapter 4. Acoustics to Detect and Measure Underwater Organisms  113Verena TRENKEL, Aude PACINI and Laurent BERGER4.1. Introduction 1134.1.1. Physical principles of underwater acoustics 1134.1.2. Instruments  1174.2. How animals use acoustics  1204.2.1. Marine mammals 1214.2.2. Fish 1234.2.3. Other marine animals  1244.3. How researchers use acoustics 1244.3.1. Widening the observation scope  1244.3.2. Describing animal behavior 1264.3.3. Estimating fish abundance 1284.3.4. Ecosystem indicators 1304.3.5. Seafloor and benthic habitat characterization  1314.3.6. Quantifying the impact of human activities on ecosystems 1314.4. Practical uses of acoustics  1324.4.1. Equipment 1324.4.2. Carrying out a research cruise 1354.4.3. Data processing  1374.4.4. Advantages and drawbacks of acoustics 1394.5. Acknowledgments 1404.6. Bibliography  140Chapter 5. “Bio-logging” as a Tool to Study and Monitor Marine Ecosystems, or How to Spy on Sea Creatures 143Yann TREMBLAY and Sophie BERTRAND5.1. Introduction 1435.2. The variety of sensors and measurements 1445.2.1. Position measurements  1445.2.2. Physiological measurements  1475.2.3. Behavioral measurements  1475.2.4. Environmental measurements 1485.2.5. Presence measurements 1495.3. Attachment methods: limits and ethics 1505.4. Current challenges 1525.5. Some examples of discoveries resulting from bio-logging  1535.5.1. The marine field is huge, and yet…  1535.5.2. To adjust, yes, but how? 1545.5.3. Animals as oceanographers 1565.5.4. The impact of oceanographic structures 1565.5.5. Interactions with fisheries, their management and conservation 1575.6. Conclusion 1615.7. Bibliography  162Chapter 6. Modeling Strategies for Ecosystems 175Cédric BACHER and Nathalie NIQUIL6.1. Definition of mathematical modeling 1756.1.1. Introduction  1756.1.2. The main currents of ecological modeling  1776.2. Mathematical formalization 1786.2.1. State variables, process variables and the equation of state 1786.2.2. Functional responses 1806.2.3. Simplified food web 1876.3. Metabolic foundations of population dynamics  1926.3.1. Metabolic laws  1926.3.2. Population and communities  1976.4. Modeling complexity 1996.4.1. Introduction  1996.4.2. From NPZD to trophodynamic models  2036.4.3. Static holistic models 2046.5. Conclusion 2096.5.1. The ideal of end-to-end models 2096.5.2. To find out more 2106.6. Acknowledgments 2126.7. Bibliography  212Chapter 7. The Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries: Reconciling Conservation and Exploitation 221Philippe CURY, Arnaud BERTRAND, Sophie BERTRAND, Marta COLL, Philippe GROS, Souad KIFANI, François Le LOCH, Olivier MAURY, Frédéric MENARD, Florent RENAUD, Lynn SHANNON and Yunne-Jai SHIN7.1. The ecosystem approach to fisheries: a shared view on the management of marine resources 2217.1.1. The challenges of the ecosystem approach  2217.1.2. Three bodies of the United Nations structure the ecosystem approach to global fisheries  2237.1.3. The complex matter of scientific issues supporting governance 2337.2. The way marine ecosystems work 2367.2.1. Bottom-up, top-down and wasp-wait controls  2367.2.2. Trophic relationships in marine ecosystems 2487.3. EAF and research on marine ecosystems 2567.3.1. Quantifying ecological interactions  2567.3.2. Understanding spatial dynamics  2587.3.3. Modeling as a tool to integrate knowledge  2627.4. Ecological indicators Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD)  2717.4.1. Three current levels of organization: international, national and regional  2737.4.2. The ecosystem approach of the MSFD  2747.4.3. The assessment of food webs  2757.5. Implementing the EAF: the Benguela and Humboldt examples  2787.5.1. Benguela  2787.5.2. The Humboldt 2837.6. Dynamic approaches to the ecosystem management of fisheries  2897.7. Bibliography  290Chapter 8. Modeling in Contemporary Sciences: Efficiency and Limits Examples from Oceanography  313Alain PAVÉ8.1. Introduction 3138.2. A language to describe reality  3148.3. Relationships between models and reality 3158.4. What about marine ecological systems and their management? 3238.5. Interdisciplinarity, transdisciplinarity and modeling 3298.5. Bibliography  332List of Authors  337Index 339