Impact of bottom fishing on animal forests: Science, conservation, and fisheries management

Abstract

Negative impacts of fishing activities on marine animal forests have been documented from around the world. Besides climate change, fishing poses the greatest global threat to these often very vulnerable and slow-recovering habitats. The impact of fishing on animal forests in shallow water ecosystems is relatively well studied, while for deeper waters, due to logistical constraints and scale, the true extent of fishing impacts still needs to be adequately described. Scientific efforts should be intensified to identify potential conflict zones between fishing and the location of animal forests to identify priority areas for conservation efforts. For this purpose, the use of new technological advances such as Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) and acoustic habitat mapping techniques, e.g., multibeam, will be essential. Preserving these vulnerable habitats will be a scientific, political, and social challenge and will require the collaboration of all stakeholders, in particular the involvement of fishers. Scientific studies will not only have to concentrate on identifying and describing impacts, but it will be essential that science also focuses its efforts on identifying the goods and services these habitats provide with respect to ecosystem health and the production of fish. Understanding the importance of these habitats will be crucial in securing the support, compliance, and acceptance of management measures aimed at conserving animal forests.