Out of The Abyss Transforming EU rules to protect the deep sea The Pew environment Group The Pew Environment Group is the conservation arm of The Pew Charitable Trusts, a non-governmental organisation that works globally to establish pragmatic, science-based policies that protect our oceans, preserve our wildlands and promote clean energy. The Pew campaign to protect the deep sea The Pew campaign to protect the deep sea works to promote sustainable and responsible fishing polices for the deep sea – the largest and least understood environment on the planet. The campaign employs the best available science and economic data to understand how we might better protect fragile deep-sea habitats and highly vulnerable fish populations from unsustainable and highly destructive fishing. Karen Sack, Deputy Director, Pew Environment Group Andrea Kavanagh, Campaign Director, Protecting the Deep Sea Glynnis Roberts, Senior Associate, Protecting the Deep Sea Mark Gibson, Associate, Protecting the Deep Sea Elsa Lee, Associate, Protecting the Deep Sea Susanna Fuller, Consultant Matthew Gianni, Consultant Marta Marrero, Consultant Claire Nouvian, Consultant Acknowledgments This policy paper benefited tremendously from the initiative and analysis of Mark Gibson and expert knowledge of Matthew Gianni. A special thanks is owed to Professor Philip Weaver of the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton and Monica Verbeek and Carole White of Seas-At-Risk for their expertise and guidance. For more information, visit www.pewenvironment.org/deepsea This policy paper is intended for educational and informational purposes only. © The Pew Environment Group | Washington, D.C. | www.PewEnvironment.org January 2012 Cover Main background photo: instrumentation panel showing tracks of previous trawls in the northeast Atlantic, Greenpeace/Kate Davison. Round photos, left to right: orange roughy in the northeast Atlantic, JNCC/ Jaime Davies; coral sample of Lophelia pertusa, Inner Hebrides, North Atlantic, Greenpeace/Gavin Newman; electronic equipment onboard a trawler, PEG/ Corey Arnold. Transforming EU rules to protect the deep sea 01 Contents Executive summary 02 1. Introduction 04 2. The deep sea and the problem of deep-sea fishing 05 2.1 The deep sea 05 2.2 Deep-sea fishing 07 2.3 Environmental consequences 08 2.4 International call for action to protect the deep sea 11 3. The mismanagement of EU deep-sea fisheries 13 3.1 Deep-sea fishing in the northeast Atlantic 14 3.2 Impacts on species and ecosystems 15 3.3 Overview of EU deep-sea management 18 3.4 Evaluation of the EU deep-sea access regime 20 3.5 Evaluation of other EU fisheries management measures 22 4. Reforming the EU deep-sea access regime 24 Appendix I: Species listed in Annexes I and II of EU Regulation 2347/2002 28 Appendix II: Estimating the volume and value of the EU regional deep-sea landings 30 5. Endnotes 33 Acronyms CCAMLR Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic NEAFC North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission Marine Living Resources NPFC North Pacific Fisheries Commission CPUE catch per unit effort RFMO regional fisheries management organisation EEZ exclusive economic zone SPRFMO South Pacific Regional Fisheries FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the Management Organisation United Nations UNGA United Nations General Assembly ICES International Council for the Exploration of VME vulnerable marine ecosystem the Sea The Pew Environment Group Transforming EU rules to protect the deep sea 02SUmmary exeCutive summary As currently practised, deep-sea fishing has serious northeast Atlantic – home to some of the most and widespread environmental consequences heavily exploited deep-sea fish stocks – the EU for deep-sea fishing countries, the international is responsible for 75 percent of the total regional community, and ocean ecosystems. Studies reveal catch of deep-sea species.1 The EU is also a major that deep-sea fishing fleets around the world are player in high seas bottom fishing – an activity that causing significant harm to the ocean ecosystem frequently targets deep-sea species. The EU has an by damaging vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) estimated 103 vessels conducting high seas bottom both within their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) fishing, which is approximately one-third of the high and on the high seas. Such damage occurs through seas bottom fishing fleet globally.2 Given its size, bottom contact with fragile habitats and the the EU is uniquely poised to significantly improve overfishing of highly vulnerable deep-sea species, the sustainability of deep-sea fishing and reduce including orange roughy (Hoplostethus altanticus), negative impacts on VMEs. deep-sea sharks (e.g. Centrophorus spp.), and grenadiers (Coryphaenoides spp.). Many deep-sea Importantly, deep-sea fisheries are of little economic species are now believed to be depleted regionally, importance. Globally, deep-sea fisheries account for if not globally. just 2 to 4 percent of world landings.3 And in the EU, deep-sea fisheries account for just 1.2 percent of the The European Union’s (EU) deep-sea fishing EU’s northeast Atlantic catch and 1.3 percent of the fleet is one of the largest in the world. In the value of EU fishery product landings.4 ty R cience Pa cience s ASS -D e F i - i -UR aa O Lyman Peak, yakutat Seamount, Corner rise Seamount Group, depth 1,426m. This shows an area of the seamount that n ing/ was very heavily fished. most of the old coral was ground into rubble, some of the living gorgonians and sponges are L left but most are gone. Les Wat Les The Pew Environment Group Transforming EU rules to protect the deep sea 03SUmmary key reforms The Pew environment Group recommends 10 key reforms for eU deep-sea fisheries management. These reforms are offered on the basis of european Commission reports and communications, eU regulations, scientific studies, fisheries management best practice, international n O commitments made by the eU, and various publicly available documents and analyses. Deep-sea catch winched aboard bottom trawler, in 1. Incorporate a clear mandate for sustainable management. the Hatton Bank area of the North atlantic, 410 miles Davis eace/Kate P north-west of Ireland. een gR 2. Phase out the use of destructive fishing practices and gear. This policy paper summarises the current problems 3. Require that impact assessments are performed prior to in the regulation of deep-sea fisheries in the deep-sea fishing. northeast Atlantic by the EU, including weak catch and effort limits, lack of knowledge of the status 4. Implement area closures where significant adverse impacts of deep-sea fish stocks and the impact of fishing; on VMEs are known or are likely to occur. incomplete deep-sea species coverage; deficient monitoring and control measures; significant 5. Regulate all deep-sea fishing operations, defined as fishing data and reporting gaps; and a lack of sufficient below 400m, and the catch of all deep-sea species. measures to ensure sustainability and protect vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems such as cold-water 6. Regulate deep-sea catches, not just deep-sea landings. coral reefs from the harmful impacts of bottom fisheries. Various assessments have found that the 7. Reduce bycatch of deep-sea species and end discarding. EU’s deep-sea fisheries management regime for the northeast Atlantic is inadequate, poorly enforced, 8. Require that more detailed fishing plans are to be and inconsistent with EU and international submitted prior to deep-sea fishing. principles, agreements and legal obligations for the sustainable management of fisheries. As a 9. Effectively manage fishing capacity and effort in deep-sea result, leading scientific authorities have concluded fisheries. that the EU’s fisheries for deep-sea species in the northeast Atlantic are ‘outside safe biological limits’ 10. Improve reporting, monitoring, and compliance in deep-sea and that deep-sea fishing should be significantly fisheries. reduced or ended entirely.5 Globally, deep-sea fishing suffers from a lack of sustainable management practices. World landings are in a steady decline, and the high vulnerability of deep-sea fish stocks and deep-sea marine ecosystems is well documented. a single pass of a trawl net can destroy coral reefs, some of which may be as much as 8,500 years old The Pew Environment Group Transforming EU rules to protect the deep sea 04Section 1 introduCtion he European Union’s deep-sea fishing fleet for EU deep-sea fisheries are unavailable, leading is one of the largest in the world. In the scientific authorities have ruled that all of these northeast Atlantic – home to some of the deep-sea fisheries are ‘outside safe biological most heavily exploited deep-sea fish stocks limits’ and that fishing should be reduced or T 13 – the EU is responsible for 75 percent of the total ended entirely. That this recommendation has regional catch of deep-sea species.6 The EU is also not been followed is particularly concerning as a major player in high seas bottom fishing – an deep-sea species are relatively unimportant to the activity that frequently targets deep-sea species. EU economy – deep-sea species represent just The EU has an estimated 103 vessels conducting 1.3 percent of the total value of EU fishery product high seas bottom fishing, which is approximately landings and 1.2 percent of the EU’s entire northeast one-third of the high seas bottom fishing fleet Atlantic catch (see Appendix II). globally.7 Given its size, the EU is uniquely poised to significantly improve the sustainability of deep-sea Given its key role in deep-sea fisheries, the EU has fishing and reduce negative impacts on vulnerable an opportunity to demonstrate to other countries marine ecosystems (VMEs). that deep-sea fishing can be conducted responsibly and that it is following through on commitments Globally, deep-sea fishing suffers from a lack of made at the United Nations to manage deep- sustainable management practices.