Figure 6. A voluntary environmental management system is a part of an organization’s overall synoptic approach to strategic business planning. As illustrated in the classic management cycle of planning, doing, checking/ correcting, and acting/improving, environmental management includes several steps in a continuous process designed to improve an organization’s environmental “footprint” and operating conditions. Here, fisheries is particularly noted, and the 10 National Standards found in the U.S. Sustainable Fisheries Act (Public Law No. 104-297) are particularly applicable (see Table 7). By example, the United Nations voluntary Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing could be utilized as a “best practice” in an international large marine ecosystem (LME) setting where 90-95% of the world’s commercial catch of fisheries is harvested (see: Sherman, 2005). Source: Adapted and modified from Begley (1996a p. 301a) The reader will note many similarities to the “Sainsbury” ISO 14001 VEMS approach depicted in Figure 2; see also Sainsbury et. al., (2000, p. 732). The cycle is also applicable in a modified way for the regulators, e.g. New England Fishery Management Council, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and so forth. According to Darnall (2001 p. 2) the ISO 14001 is based on a 1931 model towards achieving continuous improvement. The East Coast Pelagic Association (ECPA) of Camden, Maine is cited as a representative example of a fisheries organization.