Q 51 - How can we minimize the impact of bottom trawling on the growth and survival of gorgonians and other cold water corals located in the NWMED deep-water VMEs?

Broader “Question”

• Q 50 - How can deep-water VMEs be effectively identified and conserved with regards to anthropogenic impacts arising from human activities?

Related sites

• North-Western Mediterranean (NW-MED)

Answers

ESE1 - Ecological toolkit

Practices: Scoping Data collection and presentation Analysis and diagnosis Prioritisation and designation Implementation and management Monitoring and evaluation

Spatial scales: Transboundary / sea basin National Regional / local

Protection regimes: Non-strict protection

Marine zones: Coastal zone Deep sea

Criteria classes: 1 Ecological and genetic criteria 1.1 Functional 1.1.1 Vulnerability 1.1.2 Stability 1.1.3 Functional hotspots 1.1.4. Life cycle critical areas 1.1.5 Climate-smart potential

Criteria

• Category Ecological and genetic criteria

  • Subcategory Functional

    • Macro-criterion Vulnerability

    • Macro-criterion Stability

    • Macro-criterion Functional hotspots

    • Macro-criterion Life cycle critical areas

    • Macro-criterion Climate-smart potential

Implementation details

Note. As we consider bottom-trawling as the main pressure, we focus only on non-strict protection areas. We encourage the proposed measure of moving the limits of authorized bottom-trawling from 1000m to 800m as measure of protection of deep-sea habitats and VME species, from an ecological point of view.

Scoping phase considering only direct anthropogenic stressors:

The promoted ecological approach in that case focus on area-based measures using VME species as indicators of priority conservation target (biological target). There is no regional official list of species considered as VME indicator but the FAO and Oceana present a full worldwide list of species on their website and a list of criteria used to define a VME. You need to identify the relevant institution for each areas responsible of VME management and contact them to make a state of actual knowledge and built your own species list. For example, in the Mediterranean Sea, the GFCM is responsible for the co-management of VME and bottom trawling. You can also find some working documents highlighting 76 species in the whole Med plus 2 families (Aphanipathidae and sabellidae) and 9 genus considering as VME. This question focus particularly on deep-sea species (particularly seamounts) and cold water corals. Priorities: Deep-sea species even if most of the VME are located in coastal water

Measure generally promoted to answer to that question: Design new MPA, Design Network MPA/MSP, Manage Existing MPA (regulate or banned bottom trawling)

The main purpose of the question is to avoid direct pressure on the VMEs’species. The relevant criteria from the ESE1 (D3.1, D3.2, D3.3 and D3.4) are the following: Vulnerability (inner criteria: sensitivity), Critical life cycle areas (inner criteria: Connectivity-related aspects, Larval sources and spawning aggregation areas), Stability (inner criteria: ecosystem integrity).

The following methodologies are advocated to evaluate the incidence of bottom-trawling on identified cold-water corals: 1. Map the deep-sea corals presence, state of health and eventually known or potential connectivity pathways (based on up-to-date knowledge and eventually dispersal models considering genetic informations when availables). In this question Mining and Climatic sensitivity are not taken into account whereas they could be very important factors to assess potential success of management measures implemented here, consider the answers to the ESE questions 7 and 50 for further information. 1. Perform a spatial exposure assessment (CC methodological criteria in D3.3) using bottom trawling as main stressor. 2. Supperposed the obtained pressures maps to species distribution to highlight overlapping areas. Consider the health state of populations to identify most threaten areas. 3. Simulate different scenario of bottom-trawling redistribution testing different management levers and closures. 4.Redo step 2 5. Use a decision support tools to define a portfolio of scenarios associated with management levers (closure, gear restrictions…). Prioritise areas where the pressure will remain strong under the different scenarios and on highly productive areas (propagulas) or eventually threatened (following criteria Ecological Status). 6. Trade-off analysis to assess the acceptability of solutions (ESE 3).

General remarks: considered also longlines in the decision-process, especially on the head of canyons less accessible to bottom-trawlers.