Issues, assessment and management of bottom fishing 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 fisheries on deep-sea VMEs have led to heated debate in the United Nations General Assembly, and fisheries management bodies are required to avoid the significant adverse impacts (SAIs) of bottom fishing on VMEs in their areas of competency. Accordingly, fishing nations and regional fisheries management organizations introduced measures for the conservation and management of VMEs by distinguishing existing fishing areas and unfished areas, closing the unfished areas to commercial fishing operations, and introducing VME encounter protocols and VME closures. Such frameworks to assess and manage the impacts of bottom fishing on seafloor habitats are necessary in Japan for ensuring the conservation of marine biodiversity and the sustainability of fisheries.