An Integrated ecological–economic modeling framework for the sustainable management of oyster farming

• Interdisciplinary approach to management of shellfish aquaculture
• Interconnections between ecology and society for holistic analyses of aquaculture
• Modeling framework for understanding trajectories of change amid global challenges

Sustainable resource management requires improved understanding of complex ecological processes and the socioeconomic drivers shaping human–environment interactions. To better understand complex interconnections among ecological and economic systems, this study integrates a coastal marine ecosystem model with a model of the associated coastal economy. Through simulations of different ecological and socioeconomic scenarios, the integrated model can be used to generate predictive ecological and economic values for policy analysis, providing an opportunity for more rational and informed debate concerning sustainable marine resource development. To demonstrate utility of this integrated model, it was applied to coastal shellfish aquaculture production in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, US, a coastal ecological–economic system that provides important ecosystem services and contributes to the regional economy.