New information regarding the impact of fisheries on other components of the ecosystem (2018)

In 2018, ICES has received more than 248 new records of VME indicator and/or VME habitat data in EU waters.These are on Rockall Bank, George Bligh Bank, Anton Dohrn Seamount, Rosemary Bank, the UK/Irish Continental Shelf slopes, Darwin Mounds, Faroe-Shetland Channel, the Explorer Canyon, and Ormonde Seamount. ICES notes that VME habitats are not currently being protected from bottom fishing in parts of the Rockall Bank, Anton Dohrn Seamount, George Bligh Bank, the Faroe-Shetland Channel, and in the area of the Explorer Canyon (also known as the Whittard Canyon Complex).