Today, the European Commission has announced that it will protect 87 vulnerable marine ecosystems from deep-sea bottom fishing near the Atlantic coasts of France, Ireland, Portugal and Spain.
Deep-sea vulnerable marine ecosystems are scientifically recognised as storing a large part of the CO2 produced by human activities. Protecting deep-sea vulnerable ecosystems thus represents a crucial step towards preventing marine ecological breakdown and mitigating climate change.
The protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems was a vital part of the 2016 Deep Sea Fisheries Regulation. In addition to prohibiting bottom-trawling below 800 metres, the Regulation required an end to bottom-fishing in cold water coral reefs, aggregations of deep-sea sponges, sea pens and other deepwater habitats by 2018. These diverse deep-sea ecosystems are highly vulnerable to degradation. The delay in implementing this obligation of the Regulation was the result of the lengthy and extensive consultation and evaluation undertaken by the European Commission with scientists, Member States, the fishing industry and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
“Despite being four years late as a result of a lengthy consultation process with stakeholders, we applaud the European Commission for finally and firmly adopting the preservation of vulnerable deep sea ecosystems. The protection of these ecosystems is a key step towards reversing biodiversity loss in our ocean, while also contributing to mitigating climate change,” said Andrea Ripol, Marine Policy Officer of Seas At Risk.
