COST-IMPACTCosting the impact of demersal fisheries on marine ecosystem processes and biodiversity

Co-ordinator: Dr Mel Austen – m.austen@pml.ac.uk

Webpage: www.cost-impact.org

Contract number: Q5S-2001-00993Start date: 01 December 2001End date: 31 November 2004Duration: 36 months

Primary objectives

to provide advice to decision makers on

1. How demersal fishing impacts the biodiversity of marine benthos and the associated goods and services that they provide

2. How these impacts influence other marine ecosystem processes

3. What the likely values of marine ecosystem goods and services are and how these values are affected by fishing

COST-IMPACT PARTNERS

1. Plymouth Marine Laboratory Dr Melanie Austen UK

2. Ecological Consultancy Services Ltd (EcoServe) Chris Emblow Ireland

3. The Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) Dr Morten Schaanning Norway

4. School of Ocean Sciences, University of Wales-Bangor, UK (UWB) Dr Mike Kaiser UK 5. Institute of Marine Biology of Crete (IMBC) Dr Chris Smith Greece

6. University of Oslo, Department of Biology, Section of Marine Chemistry and Marine Zoology (UO) Dr Frode Olsgard Norway

7. Fisheries Economics Division – Agricultural Economics Research Institute (LEI) Dr Erik Buisman The Netherlands

8. University of East Anglia (UEA) – The Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment (CSERGE) Dr Rob Tinch UK

9. PRIMER-E (PRIMER-E) Dr Bob Clarke UK

10. Sea Fisheries Institute (SFI) Dr Aleksander Drgas Poland

11. University of Gdansk Institute of Oceanography, (UG) Dr Jerzy Bolalek Poland

EU Framework 5

Cost-ImpactCost-Impact: : Costing the impact of Costing the impact of demersal fishing on marine ecosystem demersal fishing on marine ecosystem processes and biodiversityprocesses and biodiversity

Types and amounts of demersal fishing

Changes in PP and ecosystem processes

(ERSEM)

Changes in value of system goods and services

Changes in benthic biodiversity

Changes in nutrient cycling

Development of Decision Support System

• By enabling development of strategies to manage fisheries effort that will balance the environmental impact on marine benthic biodiversity and the services the benthos provides for marine ecosystem functioning against the socio-economic benefits of fishing

• By providing tools to help determine whether a balance can be achieved between the economic value of a fishery and the impacts of fishing on marine ecosystems and the economic value of the goods and services they provide

COST-IMPACT will help managers to integrate fishing policy with environment policy

WP2

Data organisation

WP4

Ecologicalmodelling

WP3

Experiments on goods and

services

WP5

Environmentaleconomics

WP8

Annual workshop

WP9

Final workshop

WP6

Project management

WP7

Dissemination

WP1

Start up workshop

COST-IMPACT - project structure

Collate existing data on the effects of demersal fishing on benthic communities inhabiting marine soft sediments

Produce database of spatially referenced faunal information, upon which models and analyses may be based

WP 2 Data Organisation

EcoServe, PML, UWB, IMBC, UO, PRIMER-E

WP3 Experiments on goods and services provided by biodiversityPML, NIVA, IMBC, UO, PRIMER-E

The relative contribution of large individual benthic organisms and the communities associated with them to nutrient cycling

The influence of large individuals and groups/patches of large benthic organisms on associated benthic biodiversity

The relationship between nutrient cycling capacity and biodiversity of benthic communities in areas subjected to different degrees of fishing

How these functions vary seasonally

Carry out seasonal (winter and summer) mesocosm and field experiments to elucidate:

Mesocosm experiment to determine effects of biodiversity of bioturbating species on ecosystem functioning: nutrient exchange

and maintenance of associated biodiversity

Norway - Oslofjord

ROV and Operators

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Study area

Core samples were collected in trawled and untrawled areas to determine nutrient flux over 3 weeks in mesocosm

Iraklion BayIraklion Bay

Aegean Sampling Sites

Side cameraSide camera Side scanSide scan

Side scan and Video Acquisition

Side scan & video

NutrientFlux

NutrientFlux

BioturbationEffects

BioturbationEffects

Cost-Impact in the Aegean

WP 4 Ecological modelling of the effects of fishing on marine ecosystems IMBC, PML, UWB, UO, PRIMER-E

Use field data collated in database (WP2) to determine the relationship between fishing effort and biodiversity of benthic communities

Hence construct empirically based predictive models of changes in benthic biodiversity likely to occur with changes in fishing effort in different European regions

Model effects of fishing on marine benthic communities and marine ecosystem processes:

Incorporate experimental data (WP3) into models to construct empirically based predictive models of changes in nutrient cycling likely to take place with changes in fishing effort in different European regions

WP 4 Ecological modelling of the effects of fishing on marine ecosystems

Model effects of fishing on marine benthic communities and marine ecosystem processes (continued):

Input predictions from models of the effects of fishing on nutrient cycling and benthic biodiversity into the European Regional Seas Ecosystem Model ERSEM

Hence construct predictions of changes in ecosystem processes (e.g. primary productivity) in response to changes in fishing effort for different European regions for which parameters are already set within ERSEM (e.g. southern North Sea, Aegean, Norwegian waters)

BioturbationEffects

NutrientFlux

Existing DataBiological

Existing DataChemical

Existing DataPhysical

EnvironmentalEconomics

EcologicalModelling

ERSEMModel

Cost-Impact in the Aegean

WP 5 Environmental Economics modellingUEA, PML, IMBC, LEI

€ Explore methods for economic valuation of fishery productivity and other ecosystem services

€ Build on the outputs of workpackages 2, 3 and 4 to model effects of different fishing regimes on fishery

productivity and other ecosystem services calculate, where possible, the economic value of

these effects conduct a constrained cost benefit analysis of

different fishing regimes€ Develop a decision support tool for incorporating

trade-offs between fishing effort and ecosystem services within management

Model the costs/benefits of changes in fishing on the value of ecosystem services and natural capital:

WP 7 Distribution and dissemination of information to user groupsEcoServe, IMBC, UO, UEA

Distribute and disseminate information concerning the project to a wide range of interested parties and end users

Co-ordination of the Reference User group

All project participants and the Reference User group will attend two workshops additional to the Start up workshop.

Project results and progress will be disseminated via the project web site, electronic newsletters and a listserver discussion group

comprises potential users of COST-IMPACT’s final outputs from both commercial and government sectors, (fisheries and aquaculture management, nature conservation)

advise on the relevance and user-friendliness of the research

advise on dissemination procedures to ensure that results from COST-IMPACT reach potential end users

Reference User Group (RUG)

WP6 Project Management

Coordinator Mel Austen PML (WP3, WP6)

Steering CommitteeMike Kendall PML (WP1)Chris Emblow ECOSERVE (WP2)Yannis Karakassis IMBC (WP4)Kerry Turner/Rob Finch CSERGE (WP5)Chris Smith IMBC (WP8)Mona McCrea ECOSERVE (WP9)Michel Kaiser UWBMorten Schaanning NIVAFrode Olsgard UOSLOErik Buisman LEI-DLOBob Clarke PRIMER-E

WP1Start up

workshopM. Kendall PML

WP2Data organisation

C. Emblow ECOSERVE(M. Kaiser UWB)

WP4Modelling

Y. Karakassis IMBC(K. Clarke PRIMER-E)

WP3Experiments on goods

M. Austen PML(M. Schaanning NIVA)

WP5Environmental economics

K. Turner CSERGE(E. Buisman LEI-DLO)

WP8Annual workshop

C. Smith IMBC

WP9Final workshop

M. McCrea ECOSERVE

WP6Project management

M.Austen PML(M.Kendall PML)

WP7Dissemination

C.Emblow ECOSERVE(R.Tinch CSERGE)