Reference points for assessing significant adverse impacts on deep sea vulnerable marine ecosystems

IF 7 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Ecological Indicators Pub Date : 2025-03-01 DOI:10.1016/j.ecolind.2025.113296

Andrew J. Kenny , Pierre Pepin , James Bell , Anna Downie , Ellen Kenchington , Mariano Koen-Alonso , Camille Lirette , Christopher Barrio Froján , Neil Ollerhead , F. Javier Murillo , Mar Sacau , Susanna Fuller , Daniela Diz

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Biodiversity loss due to human activities is a critical issue, particularly in the High Seas where bottom-contact fishing poses a significant threat to Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs). Deep sea VMEs, tend to be composed of slow-growing, long-lived benthic organisms such as deep-sea corals and sponges. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has developed guidelines to protect these ecosystems from Significant Adverse Impacts (SAI) caused by bottom trawling activities.

This study focuses on the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Regulatory Area, utilizing fishery-independent surveys and fishing Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) data to map fishing intensity and VME functional type biomass. Seven VME types have been assessed, e.g., large-sized sponges, sea pens, sea-squirts, bryozoans, black corals, large and small gorgonian corals, to determine the risk of impact. Results indicate that sponges, black corals, and large gorgonians are the most sensitive VME types to bottom trawling activities, with significant biomass loss occurring at very low fishing intensities. The study defines bottom trawling biomass impact thresholds for each VME type in the range of 0.12–9.43 km·km⁻²·yr⁻¹ and 0.01–0.11 km·km⁻²·yr⁻¹ for upper and lower impact thresholds, respectively. The study determines that rapid losses in VME biomass occurs at bottom trawling intensities of about 0.10 km·km⁻²·y^-1 for fisheries operating in the NAFO Regulatory Area. The study concludes that modest reductions in fishing effort in sensitive areas could substantially mitigate SAI whilst having little or no impact on fishing opportunities. The findings also support the target of protecting at least 60 % to 70 % of VME biomass to likely ensure good seabed status; and the importance of implementing spatial fisheries management measures, such as defining a fishing footprint and establishing fishery closed areas, to protect VMEs.

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来源期刊

Ecological Indicators 环境科学-环境科学

CiteScore

11.80

自引率

8.70%

发文量

1163

审稿时长

78 days

期刊介绍： The ultimate aim of Ecological Indicators is to integrate the monitoring and assessment of ecological and environmental indicators with management practices. The journal provides a forum for the discussion of the applied scientific development and review of traditional indicator approaches as well as for theoretical, modelling and quantitative applications such as index development. Research into the following areas will be published. • All aspects of ecological and environmental indicators and indices. • New indicators, and new approaches and methods for indicator development, testing and use. • Development and modelling of indices, e.g. application of indicator suites across multiple scales and resources. • Analysis and research of resource, system- and scale-specific indicators. • Methods for integration of social and other valuation metrics for the production of scientifically rigorous and politically-relevant assessments using indicator-based monitoring and assessment programs. • How research indicators can be transformed into direct application for management purposes. • Broader assessment objectives and methods, e.g. biodiversity, biological integrity, and sustainability, through the use of indicators. • Resource-specific indicators such as landscape, agroecosystems, forests, wetlands, etc.