Workshop on status of vulnerable marine ecosystems in the NEAFC regulatory area for a 5-year review (WKVMESTAT)

ICES workshop on status of vulnerable marine ecosystems in the NEAFC Regulatory Area for 5-year review (WKVMESTAT) was formed as part of the formal ICES advisory process in response to requests from the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC). These requests were for advice on relevant scientific issues for the NEAFC five year review of the effectiveness of the NEAFC Recommendation 19:2014 on the protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems (VME) in the NEAFC Regulatory Area.

WKVMESTAT reviewed and summarised ICES advice to NEAFC on VME and identified two issues to be considered by NEAFC and ICES.

To address changes to scientific understanding on evidence for VME and for Significant Adverse Impacts (SAI) of bottom fishing, WKVMESTAT reviewed relevant policy instruments, technical guidance and supporting documents at the global as well as regional levels. In relation to VME, the Workshop focused on definitions/descriptions/criteria, the use of the term VME in different fora, how the science to identify VMEs has been reflected in these instruments, and other scientific processes that may relate to VMEs but that utilise different terminologies. Regarding significant adverse impacts (SAI) of bottom fishing activities on VMEs the Workshop focused on the assessment of those impacts, as well as on the use of thresholds related to VME encounters.

The use of the term VME in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Sustainable Fisheries Resolution of 2003 (58/14) was a major impetus for deep-sea research to provide the evidence base to support policy decisions on VMEs. Much of the early work was focused on identification of VME indicator taxa and documenting their presence in areas beyond national jurisdiction. More recently, there have been significant relevant scientific developments in the information available to decision-makers to meet the more recent UNGA resolutions (i.e., 71/123, 77/118, and 78/68) and those of other international policies (e.g., Convention on Biological Diversity, UN Sustainable Development Goals). WKVMESTAT identified eleven areas of research where a body of relevant science has been published. For each, this report provides a description of the research subject, the relevance to VME policy, and give some insights into the future direction of that research.

Recommendation 19:2014 divides NEAFC’s regulatory areas into three categories: bottom fishing areas, areas closed for protection of VMEs and restricted bottom fishing areas. Previous ICES advice, addressing the effectiveness of the VME closures and the regulation of fisheries in the protected bottom fishing areas in protecting VMEs, support the conclusion that the measures have been effective in protecting VMEs. For the bottom fishing areas WKVMESTAT does not have the evidence to assess the effectiveness of NEAFC Recommendation in protecting VMEs.

WKVMESTAT also reviewed the list of “VME indicators” in Annex 5 to the NEAFC Recommendation and provide suggestions for additions and changes to the list.