Issues, assessment and management of bottom shing impacts on vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs)

Abstract

Some species of deep-sea cold-water corals and sponges provide complex habitats for other species and comprise unique ecosystems. Such ecosystems are considered as vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) since they are easily damaged by anthropogenic disturbances and require a long time for recovery. The destructive impacts of high-seas bottom sheries on deep-sea VMEs have led to heated debate in the United Nations General Assembly, and sheries management bodies are required to avoid the signîcant adverse impacts (SAIs) of bottom shing on VMEs in their areas of competency. Accordingly, shing nations and regional sheries management organizations introduced measures for the conservation and management of VMEs by distinguishing existing shing areas and un shed areas, closing the un shed areas to commercial shing operations, and introducing VME encounter protocols and VME closures. Such frameworks to assess and manage the impacts of bottom shing on seafloor habitats are necessary in Japan for ensuring the conservation of marine biodiversity and the sustainability of sheries.