CalCOFI now includes new roles to play and the incorporation of new types of information derived from ocean observing systems. An important new role is contributions to Ecosystem Based Management (EBM). The role of CalCOFI in the historical development of ecosystem science helps to inform the role that CalCOFI can play in the development of an Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) for the California Current System. I first define the terms for EBM, IEA and Coastal Marine Spatial Planning, before discussing how CalCOFI can contribute to Ecosystem Based Management. The development of indicators for the state of the ecosystem can be approached in many ways, but CalCOFI offers a unique opportunity to develop fishery-independent indicators for the California Current System, both because of the length and quality of the time series, and because of the remarkable taxonomic resolution of the ichthyoplankton database. The ichthyoplankton assemblage data provide information about spatial and temporal variability in the system that can be combined with indices based on physical oceanography. The new indices will provide much more specific information about the state of the system than do uni-variate indicators based on temperature, or large-scale climate indices related to ENSO, PDO, or NPGO. Ocean observing systems in the California Current incorporating gliders, moorings, and satellites in combination with high-resolution models will play an increasing role in CalCOFI in the future.