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Evidence Project Final Report

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Evidence Project Final Report General Enquiries on the form should be made to: Defra, Procurements and Commercial Function (Evidence Procurement Team) E-mail: [email protected] Evidence Project Final Report Note In line with the Freedom of Information Project identification Act 2000, Defra aims to place the results of its completed research projects in the public domain wherever possible. 1. Defra Project code MF1004 The Evidence Project Final Report is designed to capture the information on 2. Project title the results and outputs of Defra-funded Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems in the NAFO Regulatory research in a format that is easily Area publishable through the Defra website An Evidence Project Final Report must be completed for all projects. 3. Contractor CEFAS This form is in Word format and the organisation(s) boxes may be expanded, as appropriate. ACCESS TO INFORMATION The information collected on this form will be stored electronically and may be sent to any part of Defra, or to individual researchers or organisations outside £159,991 Defra for the purposes of reviewing the 54. Total Defra project costs project. Defra may also disclose the (agreed fixed price) information to any outside organisation acting as an agent authorised by Defra to 5. Project: start date ................ 6/1/2009 process final research reports on its behalf. Defra intends to publish this form 31/3/2011 on its website, unless there are strong end date ................. reasons not to, which fully comply with exemptions under the Environmental Information Regulations or the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Defra may be required to release information, including personal data and commercial information, on request under the Environmental Information Regulations or the Freedom of Information Act 2000. However, Defra will not permit any unwarranted breach of confidentiality or act in contravention of its obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998. Defra or its appointed agents may use the name, address or other details on your form to contact you in connection with occasional customer research aimed at improving the processes through which Defra works with its contractors. EVID4 Evidence Project Final Report (Rev. 06/11) Page 1 of 31 6. It is Defra’s intention to publish this form. Please confirm your agreement to do so. ................................................................................... YES NO (a) When preparing Evidence Project Final Reports contractors should bear in mind that Defra intends that they be made public. They should be written in a clear and concise manner and represent a full account of the research project which someone not closely associated with the project can follow. Defra recognises that in a small minority of cases there may be information, such as intellectual property or commercially confidential data, used in or generated by the research project, which should not be disclosed. In these cases, such information should be detailed in a separate annex (not to be published) so that the Evidence Project Final Report can be placed in the public domain. Where it is impossible to complete the Final Report without including references to any sensitive or confidential data, the information should be included and section (b) completed. NB: only in exceptional circumstances will Defra expect contractors to give a "No" answer. In all cases, reasons for withholding information must be fully in line with exemptions under the Environmental Information Regulations or the Freedom of Information Act 2000. (b) If you have answered NO, please explain why the Final report should not be released into public domain Executive Summary 7. The executive summary must not exceed 2 sides in total of A4 and should be understandable to the intelligent non-scientist. It should cover the main objectives, methods and findings of the research, together with any other significant events and options for new work. The identification of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs) is an important aspect of each Regional Fisheries Management Organisation’s (RFMO) compliance with the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 61/105 and the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Deep-Sea Fisheries Guidelines. Compliance with these instruments involves a reduction in fishing methods that cause significant adverse impacts (SAI) upon VMEs and provides the basis for RFMOs to adopt the enforcement of more sustainable fisheries practices in the high seas whilst minimising impacts on deep-sea ecosystems. The Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) – the RFMO responsible for the northwest Atlantic – agreed to strengthen its commitment to an ecosystem approach to fisheries management. As a result, the Spanish Government (who have traditionally fished in the NAFO regulatory area) announced its intention to start the programme by leading a research expedition, starting in 2009 and finishing in 2010, to map the potential VMEs that exist in the NAFO Regulatory Area (NRA) at depths shallower than 2,000 m. The Canadian and British Governments both agreed to support the initiative, which became known as the NEREIDA programme (NAFO potEntial vulneRable marine Ecosystems – Impacts of Deep-seA fisheries). Defra approved a contract with the following 3 main objectives: 1. To map potential VMEs which may occur in the NAFO Regulatory Area at depths less than 2,000 m. 2. To study the distribution of fishing effort in the NAFO Regulatory Area. 3. To propose the closure of sensitive bottom areas based upon best known scientific advice. The Spanish NEREIDA surveys adopted a multidisciplinary approach to gather acoustic multibeam and seismic profile data for the seabed immediately adjacent to the limit of Canada’s 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), between 700 m and 2,000 m depth. In addition, ground-truthing samples were taken which also targeted benthic infauna and epifauna. Water column characteristics were also measured. These surveys were supplemented by Canadian led surveys, which gathered photographic and video data from the seabed. Outputs so far have provided a valuable addition to existing knowledge from the area. These include: (i) a new classification of geological features in the survey area, (ii) a list of organisms that are indicative of VMEs based on their rarity, life history traits, sensitivity and vulnerability to disturbance by fishing, (iii) maps illustrating the historical fishing effort in the survey area, (iv) maps highlighting areas of increased EVID4 Evidence Project Final Report (Rev. 06/11) Page 2 of 31 concentrations of VME indicative organisms, (v) recommendations on the continued closure of areas specifically set up to exclude bottom contact fishing gears, and (vi) peer-reviewed publications that disseminate the programme’s findings. The three main objectives of this project have been systematically addressed and successfully achieved. Organisms and habitats indicative of VMEs have been identified and their distribution mapped within the fishing footprint of the NAFO regulatory area (Objective 1). Fishing effort has been quantified and mapped to assess which areas with high concentrations of sensitive organisms are indeed vulnerable to the direct and indirect effects of fishing with bottom contact gear (Objective 2). Conservation and enforcement measures have been applied in the form of exclusion areas which are closed to bottom contact fishing gear (Objective 3), coinciding with areas of relatively high concentrations of VME indicative organisms (e.g. sponges and corals). Cefas’ participation in the NEREIDA programme has been instrumental in achieving these objectives. It has also enabled the expansion of Cefas’ capability and expertise in the field of deep sea ecology, with valuable benefits to continuing our role as important contributors to shaping the ecosystem approach to environmental and fisheries management. The potential for further work is highlighted, as this would complement existing knowledge and would guarantee the full potential and return from the investment already made, especially as many of the quantitative biological datasets are yet to be explored in detail. Project Report to Defra 8. As a guide this report should be no longer than 20 sides of A4. This report is to provide Defra with details of the outputs of the research project for internal purposes; to meet the terms of the contract; and to allow Defra to publish details of the outputs to meet Environmental Information Regulation or Freedom of Information obligations. This short report to Defra does not preclude contractors from also seeking to publish a full, formal scientific report/paper in an appropriate scientific or other journal/publication. Indeed, Defra actively encourages such publications as part of the contract terms. The report to Defra should include: the objectives as set out in the contract; the extent to which the objectives set out in the contract have been met; details of methods used and the results obtained, including statistical analysis (if appropriate); a discussion of the results and their reliability; the main implications of the findings; possible future work; and any action resulting from the research (e.g. IP, Knowledge Exchange). The project report to Defra is appended below this page. The final page of this form is at the end of the project report. EVID4 Evidence Project Final Report (Rev. 06/11) Page 3 of 31 Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs) in the NAFO Regulatory Area (NRA) 1. Introduction 1.1. Regulatory
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