Workshop to evaluate long-term biodiversity/ecosystem benefits of NEAFC closed and restricted areas (WKECOVME)

Updated (15/12/2023): All sections updated to include NEAFC Regulatory Area 4. The majority of updates were made to chapter 2 regarding biodiversity attributes present in NEAFC Regulatory Area 4.

The workshop to evaluate long-term biodiversity/ecosystem benefits of NEAFC closed and restricted areas (WKECOVME) was formed as part of the formal ICES advisory process in response to requests from the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) for advice on Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) in relation to long-term biodiversity/ecosystem benefits of NEAFC’s areas restricted to bottom fishing, and VME closed areas and on the potential maximum depths of bottom fishing. With the aim of establishing a scientific basis for providing the advice the Workshop was requested: to evaluate the biodiversity of the areas concerned, to evaluate threats affecting or expected to affect the biodiversity attributes; to evaluate the NEAFC management measures as to whether they achieve, or are expected to achieve, positive and sustained outcomes for the in situ conservation of biodiversity; and to provide a commentary on current and potential maximum depth on the use of bottom-contacting fishing gears in the NEAFC regulatory area.

WKECOVME compiled information on biodiversity attributes present in the areas restricted to bottom fishing and in the VME closed areas and established a comprehensive list of biodiversity attributes by area. Only benthic and demersal attributes were consistently considered, given the focus on bottom-contact fishing in the NEAFC request. In defining biodiversity attributes WKECOVME used examples provided by Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) it the guidance on OECMs (CBD/COP/DEC/14/8).

WKECOVME compiled information on pressures and threats in the NEAFC regulatory area and evaluated how they affect or potentially can affect the biodiversity attributes in the area.

As a guidance to evaluate the NEAFC management measures for the VME closures and the restricted bottom fishing areas as to whether they achieve, or are expected to achieve, positive and sustained outcomes for the in situ conservation of biodiversity, WKECOVME used the relevant criterion provide by CBD in its OECM guidance.

The information on the current and potential maximum fishing depth with bottom-contacting gears in the NEAFC Regulatory Area presented in this report is based on analyses of the bottom fishing footprint and on information on the depth distribution of deep-sea fish species.