New information regarding the impact of fisheries on other components of the ecosystem (2020)

In 2020, ICES received 2065 new records of vulnerable marine ecosystem (VME) habitats or indicators in EU waters. These are located in the Rockall Bank, George Bligh Bank, the Darwin Mounds, the Faroe–Shetland Channel, the Anton Dohrn Seamount, the Scottish and Irish continental slopes, the Porcupine Bank and Seabight, and the Danish and Swedish continental slopes.
The geographical positions of areas subject to various protection and fisheries management regimes are included in this advice. Any bottom fishing on VME habitats will result in damage to these habitats.