C S A S S C C S Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat Secrétariat canadien de consultation scientifique Research Document 2010/048 Document de recherche 2010/048 A Review of the Biological Un examen des caractéristiques Characteristics and Ecological biologiques et des fonctions Functions Served by Corals, Sponges écologiques assurées par les coraux, and Hydrothermal Vents, in the les éponges et les cheminées Context of Applying an Ecosystem hydrothermales dans le contexte de Approach to Fisheries l'application d'une approche écosystémique aux pêches J. Boutillier1, E. Kenchington2, J. Rice3 Fisheries and Oceans 1Pacific Biological Station, 3190 Hammond Bay Rd Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada V9T 6N7 2Bedford Institute of Oceanography, P.O. Box 1006, Dartmouth, NS, Canada B2Y 4A2 3National Capital Region, Science Branch 200 Kent St., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0E6 This series documents the scientific basis for the La présente série documente les fondements evaluation of aquatic resources and ecosystems in scientifiques des évaluations des ressources et Canada. As such, it addresses the issues of the des écosystèmes aquatiques du Canada. Elle day in the time frames required and the traite des problèmes courants selon les documents it contains are not intended as échéanciers dictés. Les documents qu’elle definitive statements on the subjects addressed contient ne doivent pas être considérés comme but rather as progress reports on ongoing des énoncés définitifs sur les sujets traités, mais investigations. plutôt comme des rapports d’étape sur les études en cours. Research documents are produced in the official Les documents de recherche sont publiés dans language in which they are provided to the la langue officielle utilisée dans le manuscrit Secretariat. envoyé au Secrétariat. This document is available on the Internet at: Ce document est disponible sur l’Internet à: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas/ ISSN 1499-3848 (Printed / Imprimé) ISSN 1919-5044 (Online / En ligne) © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 2010 © Sa Majesté la Reine du Chef du Canada, 2010 Correct citation for this publication: Boutillier, J., Kenchington, E. and Rice, J. 2010. A Review of the Biological Characteristics and Ecological Functions Served by Corals, Sponges and Hydrothermal Vents, in the Context of Applying an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2010/048. iv + 36p. ABSTRACT This paper was produced in response to a request for advice on a scientific basis for managing fisheries impacts on benthic habitats and communities, with an emphasis on coldwater corals, sponges, and hydrothermal vent (HTV) communities. Coldwater corals, sponges and HTV communities are consistently used as examples of ecosystem components that require special attention owing to their ecological importance. Departmental mandates of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) speak to Canada’s commitments to manage anthropogenic impacts, including fishing, in a manner that insures sustainable utilization, conservation of biodiversity, no net loss of fisheries habitat and protection of species at risk. The legal precedence for this mandate is derived at the national level under the Fisheries Act and the Species at Risk Act (SARA), and under ratified international agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 61/105. These regulations and international agreements provide the characteristics and definitions of what is legally “important”. Although the importance of protecting fish habitat is well understood, the management of anthropogenic impacts has been inconsistently applied to various threats. Impacts often have unique, although sometimes overlapping pathways of effects, at both the species and the ecosystem functioning level. There are a number of ecosystem approaches to management (EAM) that have made progress on defining the key components necessary to quantify impacts, manage threats to ecosystem functions and the delivery of key ecosystem services like fisheries. The biggest problem that plagues existing EAM is the lack of appropriate data at the species and ecosystem levels. It is recommended that a holistic EAM be developed, which encompasses DFO’s mandate to manage all threats under a common framework. iii RÉSUMÉ Ce document a été créé en réponse à une demande d’avis scientifique pour la gestion des impacts des pêches sur les habitats et les communautés benthiques avec un accent sur les coraux d'eaux froides, les éponges et les communautés des cheminées hydrothermales. Les coraux d'eaux froides, les éponges et les communautés des cheminées hydrothermales sont souvent pris comme exemples de composantes de l'écosystème qui exigent une attention particulière en raison de leur importance écologique. Les mandats ministériels de Pêches et Océans Canada (MPO) témoignent des engagements du Canada visant à gérer les impacts causés par les activités humaines, y compris les pêches, de manière à assurer l'utilisation durable, la conservation de la biodiversité, aucune perte nette de l'habitat du poisson et la protection des espèces en péril. Le précédent jurisprudentiel de ce mandat est obtenu au niveau national en vertu de la Loi sur les pêches et de la Loi sur les espèces en péril (LEP), ainsi que d'accords internationaux ratifiés tels que la Convention sur la diversité biologique (CDB) et la Résolution 61/105 de l'Assemblée générale des Nations Unies (UNGA). Ces règlements et accords internationaux fournissent les caractéristiques et les définitions de ce qui est « important » sur le plan juridique. Bien que l'on reconnaisse l'importance de la protection de l'habitat du poisson, la gestion des impacts causés par les activités humaines a été appliquée à diverses menaces de manière inégale. Les impacts ont souvent des séquences d'effets uniques, mais qui se chevauchent parfois, qu'ils s'agisse des espèces ou de la dynamique des écosystèmes. Plusieurs approches de gestion écosystémiques ont progressé dans le cadre de la détermination des composantes clés pour mesurer les impacts et gérer les menaces aux fonctions de l'écosystème et la prestation des services écosystémiques clés tels que les pêches. Le manque de données pertinentes concernant les espèces et les écosystèmes demeure le principal problème relatif aux approches de gestion écosystémiques actuelles. On recommande l'élaboration d'une approche de gestion écosystémique holistique qui englobe le mandat du MPO consistant à gérer toutes les menaces dans un cadre de travail commun. iv INTRODUCTION This paper was produced in support of a national Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) science advisory process, in March 2010, to address a request for science advice on the nature, extent and significance of fisheries impacts on benthic habitats and communities. This kind of advisory process could just as appropriately been convened to address potential ecosystem impacts of any other anthropogenic activities for which management falls within Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) mandate. The March workshop has limited its scope to review the impacts on coldwater corals, sponges, and hydrothermal vents (HTV), in correspondence with the focal habitats addressed in the FAM policy on sensitive benthic areas. This paper will address the following: Why are coldwater corals, sponges, and HTV the focus of this request? What are the regulatory authorities and the species and community properties that make them important? What are the pathways of effects of fishing and many other anthropogenic activities? What have other regulatory authorities done, both internationally and domestically, to address this issue? What recommendations might flow from the information to address these threats? The Terms of Reference for the related scientific advisory process presents the drivers, goals, and objectives for the meeting with an emphasis on the impacts of fishing. Canadian fisheries managers are being asked to develop management plans which address fisheries impacts on benthic habitats. This is occurring at both the international level through Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (e.g. NAFO) and domestically through the Sustainable Fisheries Framework Policy for Managing the Impacts of Fishing on Sensitive Benthic Areas. The over-arching policy agreement driving the development of provisions in fishery management plans to protect vulnerable marine habitats are paragraphs 80 and 83 of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 61/105, which state: 80. Calls upon States to take action immediately, individually and through regional fisheries management organizations and arrangements, and consistent with the precautionary approach and ecosystem approaches, to sustainably manage fish stocks and protect vulnerable marine ecosystems, including seamounts, hydrothermal vents and cold water corals, from destructive fishing practices, recognizing the immense importance and value of deep sea ecosystems and the biodiversity they contain; 83. Calls upon regional fisheries management organizations or arrangements, with the competence to regulate bottom fisheries, to adopt and implement measures, in accordance with the precautionary approach, ecosystem approaches and international law, for their respective regulatory areas as a matter of priority, but not later than 31 December 2008: (a) To assess, on the basis of the best available scientific information, whether individual bottom fishing activities would have significant adverse impacts