Deep-Sea Fisheries Management: Challenges and Opportunities

Deep-sea Fisheries Management: Challenges and Opportunities Report of a TNC/IUCN Workshop | 18–20 January 2011 | Arlington, Virginia Deep-sea Fisheries Management: Challenges and Opportunities Report of a TNC/IUCN Workshop | 18–20 January 2011 | Arlington, Virginia Photo Credit: Life on the Edge 2004 Expedition. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration. Cover Photo: A large catch of clean orange roughy caught in a 20 minute trawl from a spawning aggregation off New Zealand. Photo Credit: NIWA. Table of Contents 1 | Introduction and Summary ...............................3 2 | Opening Remarks .....................................7 3 | Presentations and Discussion .............................9 4 | Break-out Groups .....................................21 5 | Excerpts of Certain Relevant Paragraphs from the FAO International Guidelines for the Management of Deep-sea Fisheries in the High Seas. .29 6 | Glossary ...........................................31 7 | Agenda of the Meeting .................................32 8 | List of Participants ...................................34 Photo Credit: NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program, INDEX-SATAL 2010. Cover Photo: A large catch of clean orange roughy caught in a 20 minute trawl from a spawning aggregation off New Zealand. Photo Credit: NIWA. WORKSHOP ON DEEP-SEA FISHERIES MANAGEMENT: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES 1 1 | INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY he Nature Conservancy and the the High Seas”, and thus the focus was on International Union for Conservation deep-sea fisheries in areas beyond national Tof Nature jointly organized and hosted jurisdiction. Deep-sea fisheries may be found a workshop in January 2011 to examine the also within a coastal state’s Exclusive Economic management of deep-sea fisheries and to con- Zone where the continental slope drops off sider ways to improve such management. Experts sharply near land. It was noted early on that were invited to provide information and to paragraph 10 of the Guidelines provide that make suggestions to this end. The workshop was “Coastal States may apply these Guidelines held with the agreement that all participants within their national jurisdiction, where would be free to use the information discussed, appropriate”, thus the discussion and most but that neither the identity nor the affiliation outcomes are also of relevance for areas within of the speaker(s) would be revealed. This was national jurisdiction. done to allow for a free exchange of views. As participants came from a variety of The purpose of the workshop was to consider backgrounds (scientific, policy, management, the management of deep-sea fisheries in the industry) and held a variety of views and because world’s oceans. While most deep-sea fisheries the purpose of the workshop was to examine are found beyond the continental shelf, and and consider ways to improve management of thus in the high seas, not all are. Much of the deep-sea stocks, consensus on solutions was The purpose of the discussion was guided by relevant provisions of not the goal of the workshop. The report workshop was to UN General Assembly resolutions 61/105 and reflects informed discussion of the participants examine and consider 64/72 and the FAO “International Guidelines who have expertise with various aspects of for the Management of Deep-sea Fisheries in deep-sea fisheries management. A number of ways to improve the management of deep sea fisheries. Deep sea bottom trawler. Photo Credit: NIWA. WORKSHOP ON DEEP-SEA FISHERIES MANAGEMENT: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES 3 key ideas were expressed in discussion including know or likely to occur and the adoption The deep ocean the following: of conservation and management measures comprises approxi- y The deep ocean comprises approximately to prevent significant adverse impacts on mately 90% of the 90% of the Earth’s biosphere, with a high such ecosystems or to close them to bottom Earth’s biosphere, diversity of species. The average depth of fishing. Appropriate protocols with respect the deep ocean is 3800 m; few data are of an encounter with a vulnerable marine with a high diversity available for areas below 1000 m. Fishing ecosystem, including with respect to of species. now takes place to a depth of 2000 m, thus threshold levels and indicator species are to resources from an ecosystem about which be adopted to prevent significant adverse little is known are being exploited. impacts on vulnerable marine ecosystems. y The UN Convention on the Law of the Conservation and management measures, Sea and the UN Fish Stocks Agreement including monitoring, control and surveil- provide a framework for the regulation of lance measures are to be adopted to ensure deep-sea fisheries. the long-term sustainability and rebuilding y All States have rights and obligations under where necessary of stocks. A precautionary the Law of the Sea; there are States that are approach should ensure that conservation failing in their obligation to cooperate in the and management measures are sufficient to management of high seas fisheries. ensure the long-term sustainability of A diverse assemblage of corals and y Though the relevant parts of the UN General stocks even where scientific information is sponges on a small seamount off the east coast of New Zealand. Photo Credit: NIWA. Assembly resolutions apply only to deep-sea uncertain, unreliable or inadequate. fisheries in the high seas (beyond national y UN General Assembly resolution 64/72 jurisdiction), the FAO International inter alia also called on RFMOs and States to Guidelines provide that Coastal States may improve scientific research and data collection apply the Guidelines within their jurisdiction, and sharing and to enhance efforts to coop- as appropriate. The Guidelines are appro- erate to collect and exchange scientific and priate and should be applied to bottom technical data and information related to fishing also within EEZs. the implementation of measures to manage y UN General Assembly resolution 61/105 deep sea fisheries in areas beyond national provided for four key management measures: jurisdiction and to protect vulnerable the conduct of impact assessments, the marine ecosystems. closure of areas where vulnerable marine y There is a need for a consistency in how to ecosystems are known or likely to occur, the implement the VME criteria in the FAO requirement to move out of an area if there Guidelines, including the correct level or is an accidental or incidental encounter trigger to determine a VME. Though iconic with a vulnerable marine ecosystem, and species are not the same across regions, the the need to ensure sustainable management criteria should be applied in the same way. of deep-sea fish stocks. There has been emphasis on identifying high y UN General Assembly resolution 64/72 densities of corals and sponges in determining inter alia reiterated the need to implement VMEs, but this does not take into consid- the relevant provisions of resolution 61/105 eration low densities or other species that and welcomed the adoption through the may constitute VMEs. Efforts should be FAO of the International Guidelines. The made to integrate such data in VMEs criteria. resolution called for not allowing vessels to y With the exception of the Southern Ocean engage in bottom fishing unless assessments and the Northwest Pacific, in most areas were first conducted. The resolution also impact assessments have not been completed. called for the identification of locations Many RFMOs are trying to implement the where vulnerable marine ecosystems are 4 REPORT OF A TNC/IUCN WORKSHOP FAO Guidelines but have not as yet identified where VMEs are or are likely to be found. y Assessments should be open to review by relevant science working groups and by other States. Independent reviews of assessments should be welcomed y While VMEs are to be identified through an FAO-approved process and EBSAs through a CBD-approved process, the criteria for identification of VMEs and EBSAs shared similarities and information required to identify VMEs and EBSAs was often similar or the same. However, VMEs and EBSAs themselves were not necessarily the same or co-terminous. y The UN General Assembly resolutions call The UN General on States to not authorize bottom activities Assembly resolutions until measures are in place to avoid significant adverse impacts, but this remains Paragorgia coral, Welker’s Seamount, Gulf of Alaska. call on States to Photo Credit: Gulf of Alaska 2004. NOAA Office of largely unimplemented. Ocean Exploration. not authorize y Encounter protocols and move-on rules are bottom activities often the only management measures in until measures are place to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems, can indicate if target or non-target stocks but are of limited value and do not substitute are being too heavily exploited, even if there in place to avoid for an impact assessment. is not a stock assessment. significant adverse y Protection of VMEs could largely be y There is a need to bring together different impacts, but this achieved if operators followed proper communities, especially from the conserva- remains largely assessment procedures. tion and the fisheries sides, including fisheries unimplemented. y Most areas remain open to bottom fishing. and conservation scientists, the FAO and Where no assessment has been done, fishing CBD secretariats, and within national gov- should not be allowed. ernments from environment, fisheries, y Much work to date has focused on the pro- trade and other ministries. tection of vulnerable marine ecosystems,

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