“Deep Sea species: Toward a sustainable fishery”. 19 February 2013

Mª del Mar Sacau Cuadrado- Instituto Español de OceanografíaPrograma de Pesquerías LejanasCentro Oceanográfico de VigoESPAÑA

Identification of VMEs in the high seas

- Since 2004, discussions on VME have been taking place at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). This process culminated in 2006 with the adoption of the UNGA Resolution 61/105.

- Spain has undertaken an ambitious and costly program of scientific mapping of the seabed in different parts of the oceans:

ECOVUL-ARPA Project (2005-2008) 19,000 km2

ATLANTIS Project (2007-2010) 59,000 km2

RAP-Sur Project (2008-2010) 15,800 km2

UNGA resolution 66/68 (2011): Recognized the utility of the seabed mapping programmes.

NEREIDA project: Institutions

Geological Survey of Canada. Natural resources Canada

Canadian Hydrographic service. Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science.

Secretaría General del Mar (SGM). Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural Marino

Instituto Español de Oceanografía

CA

NA

DA

SP

AIN

RUSSIA

UK

NEREIDA project: Objectives

MULTIDISCIPLINARY SURVEYS

2009 & 2010

Cartography

Benthic ecology

Hydrography

R/V Miguel Oliver R/V Hudson

Implementation of the Ecosystem Approach to the Fisheries Management in order to identify and protect Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs)

paying special attention to the cold water corals and sponges.

GENERAL OBJECTIVE

NEREIDA: Study area & surveys

Total surveyed area: ~69,000 km2

6 MULTIDISCIPLINARY SURVEYS

368 Box Corer105 dredges414 CTD RV Miguel Oliver - SGM (Spain)

2 VISUAL SURVEYS

2143 photos 116 hr (video)

RV Hudson - DFO (Canada)

NAFO Regulatory

Area

NEREIDA project: Hydrography

CTD

415 stations

R/V Miguel Oliver (SGM)

NEREIDA project: Cartography

Multibeam echosounder

Multibeam prospected area: 68,950 km2

Parametric sub bottom profiler (TOPAS)

TOPAS lines: 28,113 km

NEREIDA project: Geology

13 Geological features

Summary of the geological context for the interpretation of the biological samples

NEREIDA project: Benthic studies

Rock dredgeHard bottoms

Box corerSoft bottoms

Video and photographic transects

NEREIDA project: Rock dredge

105 samples

NEREIDA project: Box Corer

368 samples

Sponge Grounds, dominated by large, structure-forming species of Geodia. High structural complexity & diversity.

Hudson vessel CCGS Canada

NEREIDA project: Video & Photographic Transects

NEREIDA project: Photos

Hudson vessel CCGS Canada

Hexactinellida

Hippasteria phrygiana

2143 photos and 116 hours of video

NAFO Management measuresArea Closures & Protection Zones

2007Four seamounts closed to

bottom fishing

2008A Coral Protection Zone declared in Division 3O

2009 Two more seamounts closed

2010 Eleven areas were closed to

bottom fishing to protect significant concentration of

corals and sponges In total 18 areas in NAFO RA have been closed to bottom fishing

NEREIDA: Management measures

CURRENT SITUATION 11 closed areas

~ 8,500 km2

11 areas identified by groundfish surveys (UE, Spain and Canada)

Protection of corals and sponges

These areas can be REFINED in light of the

information collectedthrough NEREIDA.

Review by the

Fisheries Commission

in

2014

Big amount of NEREIDA samples Establish a priority of study on the Closed Areas

Area by Priority using NAFO CEM numbering and

nomenclature

Box Core RockDredge

Video/Still

CTD (excl. DFO data)

Other

6 – Sackville Spur 5 (9) 1 (2) 8 6 (12) MB 100%

2 – Flemish Pass/Eastern Canyon

21 (33) 14 (8) 3 (4) 28 (35) MB 98%

4 – Eastern Flemish Cap 4 (6) (2) 2 (2) 4 (8) MB 100%

3 – Beothuk Knoll 2 (3) (1) 1 2 (3) MB 100%

5 – Northeast Flemish Cap 3 (7) 4 (3) (1) 7 (8) MB 100%

1 – Tail of the Bank 2 (4) (1) 0 2 (6) MB 100%

8 – Northern Flemish Cap 2 (2) 2 0 2 (2) MB 100%

9 – Northern Flemish Cap 2 (2) 1 (1) 0 3 (3) MB 100%

10 – Northwest Flemish Cap 2 (1) 2 0 3 (1) MB 100%

11 – Northwest Flemish Cap 1 (1) 1 0 2 (1) MB 100%

7 – Northern Flemish Cap 1 0 0 1 MB 25%

3O 0 0 0 0 0

NEREIDA project: Areas by priority

Priority

+

-

Table summarizing the amount of samples

NEREIDA project: Review of the closures

Closed Area 6 at Sackville Spur

Results from analysis were presented to the NAFO Working Group on the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (WGEAFM). They supported this closure in its current form.

6

Closed Area 5 Flemish Cap Northeast Prong

5

Dive results suggested that the lower bathymetric boundary should be extended into deeper water to the 2500 m contour.

2

Closed Area 2 (being studied)

NEREIDA project: Future activities

Review of the current VME closed areas by the

Fisheries Commission in 2014 - New video analysis from the Flemish Cap closures. This analysis will bring new information related to the assessment of biodiversity with respect to VME structure forming species.

- Complete analysis of Rock dredge samples against recently produced list of VME indicator species.

- Complete analysis of Box corer samples. These samples provide a fully quantitative description of the soft bottom habitat in the NRA. Only 40 (of the 368 samples) have been processed.

All these analysis are critical for the delivery of the review of NAFO fisheries closures since it is the only source of benthic community data available which covers all of the closures in the fishing footprint and adjacent areas.

The extent of work on these topics depends on FUNDING

Thanks for your attention

mar.sacau@vi.ieo.es

“Deep Sea species: Toward a sustainable fishery.”

19 February 2013

Mª del Mar Sacau CuadradoInstituto Español de OceanografíaPrograma de Pesquerías LejanasCentro Oceanográfico de VigoESPAÑA