Cold-Water Coral Reefs
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Jl_ JOINTpk MILJ0VERNDEPARTEMENTET— — natiireW M^ iA/i*/r ONEP WCMC COMMITTEE Norwegian Ministry of the Environment TTTTr Cold-water coral reefs Out of sight - no longer out of mind Andre Freiwald. Jan Helge Fossa, Anthony Grehan, Tony KosLow and J. Murray Roberts Z4^Z4 Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive in 2010 witii funding from UNEP-WCIVIC, Cambridge http://www.arcliive.org/details/coldwatercoralre04frei i!i_«ajuiti'j! ii-D) 1.-I fLir: 111 till 1 J|_ JOINT^ MILJ0VERNDEPARTEMENTET UNEP WCMC COMMITTEE Norwegta» Ministry of the Environment T» TT F Cold-water coral reefs Out of sight - no longer out of mind Andre Freiwald, Jan HeLge Fossa, Anthony Grehan, Tony Koslow and J. Murray Roberts a) UNEP WCMCH UNEP World Conservation Supporting organizations Monitoring Centre 219 Huntingdon Road Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Cambridge CBS DDL Government United Kingdom National Parks and Wildlife Service Tel: +44 101 1223 2773U 7 Ely Place Fax; +W 101 1223 277136 Dublin 2 Email: [email protected] Ireland Website: www.unep-wcmc.org http://www.environ.ie/DOEI/DOEIhome nsf Director: Mark Collins Norwegian Ministry of the Environment Department for Nature Management The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre is the PO Box 8013 biodiversity assessment and policy implementation arm of the Dep. N-0030 Oslo United Nations Environment Programme (UNEPI. the world's Norway foremost intergovernmental environmental organization. UNEP- http://wwwmilio.no WCMC aims to help decision makers recognize the value ol biodiversity to people everywhere, and to apply this knowledge to Defra all that they do. The Centre's challenge is to transform complex Department for Environment. Food and Rural Affairs data into policy-relevant information, to build tools and systems Nobel House for analysis and integration, and to support the needs of nations 17 Smith Sguare and the international community as they engage in joint London SW1P3JR programmes of action. United Kingdom http://www defra. govuk UNEP-WCMC provides objective, scientifically rigorous products and services that include ecosystem assessments, support for Joint Nature Conservation Committee implementation of environmental agreements, regional and Monkstone House global biodiversity information, research on environmental City Road threats and impacts, and development of future scenarios for the Peterborough PEl IJY living world. United Kingdom http://vi/ww.jncc.govuk © UK Department for Environment. Food and Rural Affairs/lrish Department of the Environment. Heritage and Local UNEP Coral Reef Unit ICRUl Government/UK Joint Nature Conservation Committee/ c/o UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre Norwegian Ministry of the Environment/UNEP/UNEP-WCMC/ 219 Huntingdon Road WWF 2004 Cambridge CBS ODL United Kingdom Citation: Freiwald, A,, Fossa. J H . Grehan, A,. Koslow. T. Roberts, J M TeL 1+441 1223 277314 2004 Cold-water Coral Reefs UNEP-WCMC, Cambridge. UK. Fax: (+441 1223 277136 http://corals.unep.org http://www.unep-wcmc.org URL: http://www.unep-wcmc.org/resources/publications/ UNEP_WCMC_bio_series/22.htm WWF Coral Reefs Advocacy Initiative A Banson production Global Marine Programme UNEP-WCMC maps created by Corinna Ravilious. UNEP-WCMC WWF International Avenue du Mont-Blanc Printed in the UK by Swaingrove Imaging Gland 1196 Switzerland The contents of this report do not necessarily reflect the views or policies http://www,panda.org/coral of the United Nations Environment Programme, the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, or the supporting organizations The designations employed and the presentations do not imply the expressions of any opinion whatsoever on the part of these organizations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authonty. or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Cold-water coral reefs Editors Acknowledgements Stefan Main and Emily Corcoran This report would not have been possible without the participation UNEP Coral Reef Unit of many colleagues from the Institute of Paleontology, particularly Tim Beck. Jurgen Titschack and Max Wisshak. We are grateful to Editorial Board Mark Tasker IJoint Nature Conservation Committee IJNCCII for Elizabeth Sides. Department of the Environment. Heritage and reviewing the manuscript. Thanks also for additional material and Local Government. Ireland input to Peter Etnoyer (Marine Conservation Biology Institute Mai Bntt Knoph. Norwegian Ministry of the Environment IMCBIIl. Dorthea Hangaard (Living Oceans Society!. Michael Charlotte Johnston. Joint Nature Conservation Committee. UK Hirshfield (Oceana). Beth Lumsden (National Oceanic and Sian Owen. Global Marine Programme. WWF Atmospheric Administration (NOAAII. Elliot Norse (MCBII. Santi Roberts (Oceanal, Caroline Turnbull (JNCCl. Derek Fenton (Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFOI. Canada). Kristina Authors Gjerde (lUCN-The World Consen^ation Union) and Martin Willison (Dalhousie University). For providing permission to reproduce or to Andre Frelwald use images, we are grateful to Allen Andrews iMoss Landing). Institute of Paleontology IIPALl Amy Baco (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution). Lydia Beuck University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (Institute of Paleontology, Erlangen University). Andreas Beyer Loewenichstr 28 (Alfred Wegner Institute for Polar and Marine Research. 91054 Erlangen Bremerhaven). Allan Blacklock (National Institute of Water and Germany Atmospheric Research (NIWA). New Zealand). BP Pic. Sandra [email protected] Dawn Brooke (Oregon Institute of Marine Biology). Stephen Cairns (Smithsonian Institution), the Conservation GIS Support Center Jan Helge Fossa (Anchorage), DNO Heather Ltd, Laure Fournier (IFREMER (French Institute of Marine Research IIMRl Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea) Directorate), Donald PO Box 1870 NonJnes Gordon IDFO-Canada). Jean-Pierre Henriet (University of Ghent), N-5817 Bergen the JAGO-Team (Seewiesen. Germany). Cathy Kilroy (NIWA). Norway Tomas Lundalv (Tjarno Marine Biological Laboratory). Charles jhf@imrno Messing (Oceanographic Center. Nova Southeastern University). Conrad Neuman (University of North Carolina), the NOAA Ocean (Institute for Marine Research- Anthony J. Grehan Explorer staff. Olaf Pfannkuche Service), Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences GEOMAR), Rebecca Reuter (National Marine Fisheries (Harbor National University of Ireland the Rebikoff-Niggeler Foundation (Azores). John Reed Galway Branch Oceanographic Institution (HBOD). Jim Reid (DFO- Ireland Canada). Geoffrey Shester. Joe Shoulak (MCBI). Tom Smpyer anthony.grehan@nuigalwayie (HBOI) and Terje Thorsnes (Geological Survey of Norway (NGU)). The support of the International Gannet Association is J. Anthony Koslow appreciated. CSIRO Marine Research Governments of Ireland. Norway Perth. Western Australia This report was supported by the as well as the World Wide Fund for Private Bag 5 and the United Kingdom, Environment Programme Wembley. WA 6913 Nature (WWF) and the United Nations representatives of these organizations. Australia (UNEP). The assistance of Environment. Heritage [email protected] Elizabeth Sides (Irish Department of the and Local Government). Mai Bntt Knoph (Norwegian Ministry of the Environment). Charlotte Johnston (Joint Nature Conservation J. Murray Roberts Sian Owen. Simon Cripps and Charlotte Breide Scottish Association for Marine Science ISAMSI Committee. UK). and Emily Corcoran (UNEP Coral Reef Unit). Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory (WWF), Stefan Hain constructive input from their colleagues, especially the Oban. ArgyU. PA37 IQA as well as coral reef experts at the UNEP World Conservation United Kingdom marine and is very much appreciated. [email protected] Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). also Cold-water coral reefs Messages The planet's life-support systems are the source of stability for all peoples, all nations. Cold-water coral reefs are emerging as a new piece in this vital web of life which now requires our urgent attention.' Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director, UNEP 'These reefs are underwater oases, biological treasures and important habitats for fish. It is amazing that such 'Cold-water coral reefs form a remarkable and truly major new discoveries can still be made. The reefs are valuable ecosystem off our coasts which our nations slow growing and extremely fragile, and must, as a must work together to protect.' matter of urgency, be protected from further damage.' Minister Martin Cullen, Department of ttie Environment, Borge Brende, Minister of the Environment, Norway Heritage and Local Government, Ireland 'At last, advanced science and world leaders recognize Cold-water coral reefs are vitally important ecosystems, that the oceans' resources are finite and now require with immense biodiversity value; a treasure that must be thoughtful stewardship and intelligent management. We preserved for future generations. The UK has secured a call upon government and industry leaders to take permanent ban on bottom trawling over Lophelia urgent action to conserve the spectacular and unique pertusa cold-water coral reefs in the Darwin Mounds ecosystems of cold-water coral reefs.' through action at European Community level. However, further international cooperation is needed to conserve Dr Claude Martin, Director General. WWF International vulnerable marine ecosystems in areas beyond national jurisdiction.' Elliot Morley, Minister for Environment and Agri-Environment, Defra, United Kingdom Cold-water coral reefs Foreword Only in the last 20 years