Subsession 7e: Ecosystem and habitat assessment and management

Preserving Sensitive and Essential Fish Habitats in the Mediterranean: a valuable tool for the maintenance of

biodiversity and fisheriesThe case of the Balearic Islands

Joan MORANTA, Francesc ORDINES, Enric MASSUTÍ, Beatriz GUIJARRO, Antoni QUETGLAS, Maria VALLS Biel POMAR Michel J KAISERMaria VALLS, Biel POMAR, Michel J. KAISER

Spanish Institute of OceanographyPalma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain

School of Ocean ScienceMenai Bridge, Anglesey, UK

Preserving SH and EFH in the MED: a valuable tool for the maintenance of biodiversity and fisheries. The case of the Balearic IslandsThe case of the Balearic Islands

ContentsContents

1 E t B d Fi h i M t1. Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Managementa. Impact of Trawling on Species and Habitatsb. Marine Protected Areasb a e o ec ed eas

2. What Happens Beyond 50 m Depth?

3 The International Bottom Trawl MEDITS Programme 3. The International Bottom Trawl MEDITS Programme

4. The Circalittoral Soft Bottoms of the Balearic Shelf

5 Conclusions5. Conclusions

1. Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management :Linking species, habitats and fisheries g p ,

Bare sandy/mudBottoms

Seagrass

Habitats

Bottoms

Coral reefs

Estuaries

Coral reefs

Rocky bottoms

Throughout their lives fish species may use manyThroughout their lives fish species may use manydifferent habitats to support breeding, spawning,nursery, feeding and protection functions.

Fi h i i t i bl li k d t h lth iFisheries are inextricably linked to healthy marinehabitats; protecting them will help to support speciesconservation but also the activity of fishing communities.

1a. Impact of Trawling on Species and Habitats

B tt t li i f th t d i d t th t fBottom trawling is one of the most damaging gears due to the amount ofdiscards and habitat destruction (MED: Multi-specific fishery).

Number of species: 100≤X≤300 (~100 of commercial interest)p ( )Amount of discards: 20≤X≤70 % of the catch

% f di d b d th i diff t t% of discards by depth in different ports

Port Year <150 m 151-350 m >350 m)Fuengirola 1995-96 45 55 42 Santa Pola 1995-96 23 56 24 Valencia 1995-96 23 27 21 Palma 1995-96 69 62 19 Al údiAlcúdia 1995-96 55 44 14Pisa 1995-96 32 21 22 Vilanova 1995-96 48 17 22 Mallorca 1996 97 42Mallorca 1996-97 - - 42Vilanova 1995-96 63 19 19

Average 45 38 25

1a. Impact of Trawling on Species and Habitats

B tt t li i f th t d i d t th t fBottom trawling is one of the most damaging gears due to the amount ofdiscards and habitat destruction (MED: Multi-specific fishery).

Number of species: 100≤X≤300 (~100 of commercial interest)

Sampling on Board (Mallorca 2001-2007)

p ( )Amount of discards: 20≤X≤70 % of the catch

Mean Biomass

1000

1200

80

100Discards Composition

ons

600

800

ntag

e (%

)

60

80

T

200

400 Per

cen

20

40

Fishing Tactic

0SS DS US MS

0SS DS US MS

Fishing TacticAlgae Discards

SS: shallow shelf (50-100 m) DS: deep shelf (101-200 m) US: upper slope (201-500 m) MS: middle slope (501-800 m)

Landings OthersPisces Mollusca Echinoidea Crustacea g

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have become valuable management tools

1b. The Marine Protected AreasMarine Protected Areas (MPAs) have become valuable management toolsaround the world for conserving the nation's natural and cultural marineresources as part of an ecosystem approach to management. Many types ofMPAs for many purposes exist, including conservation of natural andMPAs for many purposes exist, including conservation of natural andcultural heritage, and also sustainable production.

1b. The Marine Protected Areas

© www.medpan.orgSlovenia

UK (Gibraltar)Lebanon

Cyprus

~100 MPAs (17 countries)~9 million he (~4% of the area)

p g

Source: www.medpan.orgyp

IsraelMalta

AlgeriaSyria

TunisiaMorocco

Only the Sanctuary ofCetaceans (Ligurian Sea) covers~8 million he (90% of MPAs)

ww.mpaglobal.org

MoroccoCroatiaTurkeyFrance

SpainGreece

8 million he (90% of MPAs)

Most MPAs are coastal and arelocated below 50 m depth

Percentage of MPA0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Gr cItaly

Most MPAs only exits on paper,protection never enforced

2. What Happens Beyond 50 m Depth?

Europe (RE 1967/2006)

Current Legislation

Europe (RE 1967/2006) Seagrass: 3 Nm/<50 m(Posidonia oceanica)Coralligenous habitatsg

National (Spanish legislation APA/79/2006)

Maërl beds>1000 mTrawling

(Spanish legislation APA/79/2006)

According STECF1 other Sensitive Habitats (SH) have been identified:

C t l L t d b iCoastal Lagoons, seamonts and submarine canyonsFacies of the crinoid Leptometra phalangium, the cnidarian Funiculinaquadrangularis and the gorgonian Isidella elongataDeep sea coral mounts with colonies of the scleractinian LopheliaDeep-sea coral mounts with colonies of the scleractinian Lopheliapertusa and Madrepora oculata

Some of this habitats has been identified as Essential Fish Habitats (EFH)( )(P. oceanica1, Maërl beds1,2, L. phalangium1,2) and Peysonellia beds2

Little is know about these Habitats Location?

(1)Report of the SGMED of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (2006).(2)Ordines F & Massutí E. Aquatic Conserv: Mar. Freshw. Ecosyst. DOI: 10.1002/aqc.969 (2008).(3)Colloca F et al. Mar. Biol. 145, 1129-1142 (2004).

3. The International Bottom Trawl MEDITS Programme

Th i t ti l MEDITS b tt t l d l d l thThe international MEDITS bottom trawl surveys developed along thenorthern MED countries could represents a very good opportunity toextend the classic objectives of fisheries management, for which MEDITSprogramme was promoted to a more EAFMprogramme was promoted, to a more EAFM.

4. The Circalittoral Soft Bottoms of the Balearic Shelf (WMED): High Biodiversity Habitats( ) g y

MEDTIS_ES 2001-2008 (483 samples)

Mallorca-Menorca

GOC73

Mallorca-Menorca

Aco

sta

00

5

GOC73

So

urc

e: 2

R/V F. P. Navarro

Cl t A l i

Eivissa-Formentera

Macro Epi-benthic species of the Continental Shelf (279 samples)

R/V Cornide de SaavedraCluster Analysis

PB

Shallow Shelf (50-90 m) Deep Shelf (91-255 m)

CBPeyssonnelia beds Crinoid beds

S d d b ttMB

SSM

DSM1

DSM2

Maërl beds

Sandy-mud bottoms Sandy-mud bottoms

Sandy-mud bottoms

4. The Circalittoral Soft Bottoms of the Balearic Shelf (WMED): High Biodiversity Habitats( ) g y

Total Number of SpeciesTAXON PS MB SSM CB DSM1 DSM2

Algae 58 27 28PB

Spec

ies

400

500Shallow

DeepAlgae 58 27 28Molluscs 67 51 49 22 37 43 Crustaceans 38 25 24 10 28 23 Equinoderms 31 27 32 24 27 27 Ascidians 50 38 39 18 16 15ta

l Num

ber o

f

100

200

300

Ascidians 50 38 39 18 16 15Chondrichthyes 19 18 10 11 15 12 Teleosts 85 61 73 59 75 79 Other invertebrates 67 46 54 16 32 40 Mean Biomass (Kg*km-2)

To 0

Km-2

5000100001200014000

Mean Biomass (Kg km )Algae 5304 1451 268 Molluscs 331 365 151 46 58 49 Crustaceans 29 10 12 5 4 5 Equinoderms 4682 815 309 650 99 159

Kilo

gram

s*K

010002000300040005000

Relative Biomass Composition

384042

Equinoderms 4682 815 309 650 99 159 Ascidians 366 72 100 17 4 3 Chondrichthyes 426 427 335 319 212 479 Teleosts 1399 733 2143 1779 1812 1532 Other invertebrates 351 70 51.4 38 21 48

0MBPS SSM CB DSM1 DSM2PB

Perc

enta

ge

4

6

8

10Other invertebrates 351 70 51.4 38 21 48

Non-Commercial Commercial Pelagic Fish0

2

4. The Circalittoral Soft Bottoms of the Balearic Shelf (WMED): High Biodiversity Habitats( ) g y

Shallow Shelf

Demersal Resources and Habitats

Shallow Shelf

is 2

MB

RD

A A

xi

PBDeep Shelf

2R

DA

Axi

s CB RDA Axis 1

5. Conclusions

I Th B l i h lf i th WMED i h t i d b th fI. The Balearic shelf in the WMED is characterised by the occurrence ofhigh biodiversity areas, which has been classified as SH and/or EFH.

II. These habitats are characterised by the presence of “foundationspecies” which increase the structural complexity of the habitat andsupport high number of species and biomass. Most of the commercial

III The occurrence of SH and EFH in the continental shelf of the MED

species present high abundance, biomass and number of recruits inthese habitats.

III. The occurrence of SH and EFH in the continental shelf of the MED,highlight the need of an ecosystem-based assessment andmanagement of the trawling fishery developed in the area.

IV. There is a need for a greater effort to know the localization andbathymetric distribution of these habitats in the MED. The internationalMEDITS surveys could represents an excellent opportunity for thispurpose.

V. The study of these habitats requires a more appropriate methodologiesfor better characterise the biodiversity (beam trawl and box-core) andfor better characterise the biodiversity (beam trawl and box-core) andnon-destructive methods for mapping (acoustic sonar, photograph-video sledges).

5. Conclusions

VI An spatially adapted management could be useful to preserve theseVI. An spatially adapted management could be useful to preserve thesehabitats in those areas where precise cartography exist. In other areas,in accordance with the principle of precaution, and due to the lack ofknowledge related with these habitats it should be advisable to extendknowledge related with these habitats, it should be advisable to extendthe prohibition of trawling on the continental shelf down to 100 mdepth.

VII Th il bilit f th d t bt i d f th V l M it i S tVII. The availability of the data obtained from the Vessel Monitoring Systemis completely necessary for an adequate scientific advise andmanagement.

VIII.This management strategy could be useful to avoid spatial pcompetence for the resources and will enhance the captures of more traditional gears (artisanal and recreational) which

ld ll h could allow the conservation of the SH and EFH in the MED.