9–2.1) and cannot easily be prioritized relative to each other. In light of the fundamental differences between lagging and leading indicators, it also can make sense to combine monitoring of multiple indicators, both lagging and leading, to obtain a better picture of ES health and ecosystem functioning. As an example, publicly available lagging measures

for the “Food” and “Recreational Fishing” ES (e.g., fish catch by state and species or regulated catch limits) can provide easily accessible information about ES change, even if these measures do not provide a fully conclusive picture of ES health. If combined with monitoring of high-scoring, leading indicators such as levels of selected

chemical compounds in fish tissue or concentration of chlorophyll-a JQ1 in vitro in surface waters, it might be possible to determine whether variations in recreational CYC202 concentration and commercial fishing go in hand with changes in important ecological functions underlying these ES. Many of the proposed indicators in Table 5 would provide useful information to a large number of ocean stakeholders, including industries, academic institutes, government organizations and the general public. Sharing the effort to implement and maintain spatially extensive, long-term monitoring programs would serve the common goal of obtaining a more holistic picture of the environmental factors affecting ES health. Monitoring of potentially harmful chemicals and compounds in fish tissues for example could be of interest Selleck RG7420 to the sea food industry, fisheries, and businesses perceived as potential sources. For many indicators, individual stakeholders, stakeholder sectors or stakeholder groups already performed valuable ground work that could be used as a building block by a larger group of ES users to obtain additional data of common interest. Impacts of anthropogenic sound on marine life for example have long been studied by a diverse group of industries, government entities and research organizations under the umbrella of the Sound and

Marine Life Joint Industry Project. Continuing these efforts is of value as new technologies develop and questions arise. Collaborative studies addressing species diversity near offshore platforms and the economic impacts of platforms on fishing and recreation might be of particular interest to oil and gas companies to help highlight potential benefits associated with deepwater developments. Egg and larval densities were measured by a group of oil and gas operators near a selected number of offshore platforms to study potential impacts of deepwater intakes and could be extended to broader scales to assist with assessing population dynamics of key fish species important to the “Food” and “Recreational Fishing” ES.