Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management assists FFA member countries to use a process of management for their fisheries. EAFM reports have been done for Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Tonga and Vanuatu.

The process is similar to risk management and involves four overall stages:

i. determining the scope of the assessment – develop a clear description of what is to be managed/assessed;

ii. given the scope, identifying all the issues that need to be assessed; preferably across the five key areas of EAFM and agreeing on the values wanted to be achieved for each of these;

iii. determining, using risk analysis, which of these issues needs to be managed directly; and

iv. establishing the levels of performance that are acceptable, the management arrangements that will be used to achieve these levels, and the review processes needed to assess performance for those issues requiring management.