MPA Symposium - Zoological Society of London

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MPAs on Google Earth Bos, O. IMARES, Netherlands. Email: Oscar.bos@wur.nl MARINE PROTECTED AREAS ON THE HIGH SEAS A TWO-DAY INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM HELD AT ZSL ON 3 AND 4 FEBRUARY 2011 POSTER ABSTRACTS When we talk about MPAs, an obvious question is: where are they? Although some maps exist, finding them on the internet is not that easy. Therefore we have compiled a Google Earth map with MPAs all over the world. More specifically, we show areas closed to bottom fisheries on the high seas (UNGA resolution 61/105) that should protect vulnerable marine ecosystems, such as deep sea corals and sponges. For each area we have compiled a factsheet with some more information. The temporal development of the closed areas can be viewed by using the time-slider, which makes it clear that the closed areas are not closed forever yet. Furthermore, we have plotted locations of vulnerable habitats such as cold corals, hydrothermal vents and cold seeps. The file is available online at www.highseasmpas.org and hopefully serves as an easily accessible source of information for policy makers, scientist and other interested people. Marine Protected Areas as a “response” tool for NE Atlantic coral reef protection Graziano, M., Hall-Spencer, J.M., Jackson, E.L. and Attrill, M. Marine Institute, University of Plymouth, UK Email: mariagrazia.graziano@plymouth.ac.uk, jason.hall-spencer@plymouth.ac.uk The NE Atlantic region has rich and varied deep-water coral habitats, formed both by hard corals (scleractinians) as well as other coral groups. Lophelia pertusa forms the most extensive reefs which typically occur at 200–1000 m depth; these reefs are fragile and vulnerable to physical damage. The reefs are high in biological diversity, support commercial species of fish and include other hard coral genera such as Madrepora and Desmophyllum. European Lophelia pertusa reefs have undergone well-documented declines due to destructive fishing practices but recent Marine Protected Areas have been designed to aid their protection and recovery (Hall-Spencer et al., 2009). Corals that do not form reefs, such as gorgonian coral gardens and isolated ancient antipatharian colonies, are not adequately protected in EU waters (Le Guilloux et al., 2010) and the current design of protected areas does not take into account the emerging threat of ocean acidification due to anthropogenic CO2 emissions, which is thought to already be affecting these vulnerable deep-water ecosystems (Tittensor et al., 2010). The EU KnowSeas project is bridging the science-policy divide to help with the planning and design of new MPAs that take into account predicted changes in ocean chemistry to best protect vulnerable marine ecosystems. Our analyses apply the DPSWR (Drivers, Pressures, State, Welfare, Responses) framework to deep-sea corals using MPAs as the societal “response” to the conservation of these habitats. Hall-Spencer, J.M., Tasker, M., Soffker, M., Christiansen, S., Rogers, S., Campbell, M. and Hoydal, K. (2009) The design of Marine Protected Areas on High Seas and territorial waters of Rockall. Marine Ecology Progress Series 397: 305–308. Le Guilloux, E., Hall-Spencer, J.M., Soeffker, M.K. and Olu-Le Roy, K. (2010) Association between the squat lobster Gastroptychus formosus (Filhol, 1884) and cold-water corals in the North Atlantic. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 90: 1363–1369. Tittensor, D.P., Baco, A.R., Hall-Spencer, J.M, Orr, J.C. and Rogers, A.D. (2010) Seamounts as refugia from ocean acidification for cold-water stony corals. Marine Ecology 31 (Suppl. 1) (2010) 212-225. For further information, please contact Scientific Publications and Meetings, ZSL, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UK. anne.braae@zsl.org
MARINE PROTECTED AREAS ON THE HIGH SEAS A TWO-DAY INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM HELD AT ZSL ON 3 AND 4 FEBRUARY 2011 POSTER ABSTRACTS Measures to improve fisheries management on the High Seas Harding, S. 1 *, Clark, E. 1 , Gardiner-Smith, B. 2 and Rogers, A. 3 1 Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, UK; 2 Globe International, London, UK; 3 University of Oxford, UK Email: simonharding@ioz.ac.uk The United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS, 1982) and the 1995 Fish Stocks Agreement (UNFSA, 1995) set the fundamental principles and obligations for the management of fisheries under international law. In addition, the 1995 UN FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and associated FAO instruments further elaborate on these principles and obligations, particularly regarding the application of the precautionary approach and sustainable ecosystem-based management of fisheries (FAO, 1995). Key to international cooperation and the multilateral implementation of these agreements are regional and subregional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs). These bodies are responsible for the management of fisheries on the High Seas, and in the case of straddling and highly migratory fish stocks, in national waters. States are required by UNCLOS and the UNFSA to join and cooperate with these bodies and to establish and abide by regulations to sustainably manage harvested fish stocks and protect their associated ecosystems (FAO, 1995; Hurry et al., 2008) There is clear evidence that many overexploited or collapsed fish stocks are a result of the failure of States to comply with their obligations under international law and the failure of RFMOs to sustainably manage fisheries. Problems with certain RFMOs have been identified as the following main issues: (1) many RFMO conventions need updating to incorporate the provisions of the UNFSA and other internationally agreed standards and modern principles of fisheries management; (2) a failure of States to provide timely and accurate catch and bycatch data; (3) lack of compliance by States with the rules and recommendations of RFMOs; (4) a lack of transparency in decision making; (5) failure to establish management measures consistent with scientific information and advice; (6) decision making structures which allow one or more States to block or ‘opt out’ of compliance with needed regulations; (7) IUU fishing; (8) inadequate funding (Hurry et al., 2008). To address these issues a series of policy recommendations were developed through an extensive consultative process with fisheries experts, which were finalised by international legislators at a meeting of the GLOBE International Commission on Land Use Change and Ecosystems in June 2010. Key measures to improve fisheries management on the High Seas such as reforming RFMOs, improving accountability and compliance with existing legislation and tackling IUU fishing will be presented. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982) United Nations General Assembly (1995). Agreement for the implementation of the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 relating to the conservation and management of straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks. FAO (1995). Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. FAO, Rome. Hurry, G.D. et al. (2008) Report of the Independent Review. International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). For further information, please contact Scientific Publications and Meetings, ZSL, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UK. anne.braae@zsl.org
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MPA Symposium - Zoological Society of London

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