In support of the IOTC ecosystem report card: a preliminary approach to monitor the status of the ocean climate and environment, variability and trends

In support of the development of the IOTC ecosystem report card, this paper addresses the “ocean climate and environmental” ecosystem component and specifically it contributes towards developing the following elements: (1) We describe the importance of this ecosystem component from which we can understand the potential risks of not monitoring it, and make a proposal of a conceptual and an operational objective to measure progress towards monitoring the potential impacts of the ocean climate and environment on the state of IOTC species and associated ecosystems. (2) We present a candidate list of climate and environmental indicators that could be estimated to capture and describe changes in the habitat of large pelagic fishes and open-ocean ecosystems, and (3) we discuss main challenges in indicator development. (4) Finally, we draft a work plan to guide our future work. We invite the IOTC community and others to contribute towards the development of the IOTC ecosystem report card. If interested, contact the corresponding authors to find out how you can contribute to this initiative.