Essential Fish Habitats

World Fisheries Congress 2008

1. 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 fisheries
The case of the Balearic Islands
Joan MORANTA, Francesc ORDINES, Enric MASSUTÍ, Beatriz GUIJARRO, Antoni QUETGLAS, 
MariaVALLSBielPOMARMichelJKAISER Maria
 VALLS
, 
Biel
 POMAR
, 
Michel
 J
. 
KAISER
Spanish Institute of Oceanography
Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
School of Ocean Science
Menai Bridge, Anglesey, UK

2. Preserving SH and EFH in the MED:
a valuable tool for the maintenance of biodiversity and fisheries.
The case of the Balearic Islands The case of the Balearic Islands
Contents Contents 1
Et
Bd Fihi M t
1
.
E
cosys
t
em-
B
ase
d Fi
s
h
er
i
es
M
anagemen
t
a.Impact of Trawling on Species and Habitats b
.M
a
rin
e
Pr
o
t
ec
t
ed
Ar
eas
b
aeoecedeas
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
Conclusions
5
.
Conclusions

3. 1. Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management :
Linkin
g
s
p
ecies
,
habitats and fisheries
gp ,
Bare sandy/mud
Bottoms
Seagrass Habitats
Bottoms
Coral reefs
Estuaries
Coral reefs
Rocky bottoms
¾
Throughout
their
lives
fish
species
may
use
many
¾
Throughout
their
lives
fish
species
may
use
many
different habitats to support breeding, spawning,
nursery, feeding and protection functions. ¾
Fi h i
itibl
li k d
t
hlth
i
¾
Fi
s
h
er
i
es are
i
nex
t
r
i
ca
bl
y
li
n
k
e
d
t
o
h
ea
lth
ymar
i
ne
habitats; protecting them will help to support species
conservation but also the activity of fishing communities.

4. 1a. Impact of Trawling on Species and Habitats
¾
Btt
tli
i
f
th
t
di
d
t
th
t
f
¾
B
o
tt
om
t
raw
li
ng
i
soneo
f
th
emos
t
d
amag
i
ng gears
d
ue
t
o
th
eamoun
t
o
f
discards and habitat destruction (MED: Multi-specific fishery
).
9Numbe
r
o
f
s
p
ecies: 100≤X≤300
(
~100 o
f
commercial interest
)
p
(
)
9Amount of discards: 20≤X≤70 % of the catch
% f di d
b
dth
i
diff t
t
%
o
f di
scar
d
s

b
y

d
ep
th
i
n

diff
eren
t
p
or
t
s
Port Year <150 m 151-350 m >350 m)
Fuengirola1995-96 45 55 42 Santa Pola1995-96 23 56 24
Valencia1995-96 23 27 21
Palma1995-96 69 62 19
Al údi Al
c
údia
1995-96 55 44 14
Pisa

1995-96 32 21 22
Vilanova1995-96 48 17 22
Mallorca
1996
97
42
Mallorca
1996
-
97
--
42
Vilanova1995-96 63 19 19
Average 45 38 25

5. 1a. Impact of Trawling on Species and Habitats
¾
Btt
tli
i
f
th
t
di
d
t
th
t
f
¾
B
o
tt
om
t
raw
li
ng
i
soneo
f
th
emos
t
d
amag
i
ng gears
d
ue
t
o
th
eamoun
t
o
f
discards and habitat destruction (MED: Multi-specific fishery
).
9Numbe
r
o
f
s
p
ecies: 100≤X≤300
(
~100 o
f
commercial interest
)
Sampling on Board (Mallorca 2001-2007)
p
(
)
9Amount of discards: 20≤X≤70 % of the catch
Mean Biomass
1000
1200
80
100
Discards Composition
ons
600 800
ntage (%)
6080
T
200
400
Percen
20
40
Fishing Tactic
0
SS DS US MS
0
SS DS US MS
Fishing Tactic
A
lg
ae
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
Others
Pisces
Mollusca
Echinoidea
Crustacea
g

6. Marine
Protected
Areas
(MPAs)
have
become
valuable
management
tools
1b. The Marine Protected Areas
Marine
Protected
Areas
(MPAs)
have
become
valuable
management
tools
around the world for conserving the nation's natural and cultural marine
resources as part of an ecosystem approach to management. Many types of
MPAs
for
many
purposes
exist
,
including
conservation
of
natural
and
MPAs
for
many
purposes
exist
,
including
conservation
of
natural
and
cultural heritage, and also sustainable production.

7. 1b. The Marine Protected Areas
© www.med
p
an.or
g
Slovenia
UK (Gibraltar)
Lebanon
C
yp
rus
¾~100 MPAs (17 countries)
~9 million he (~4% of the area)
pg
Source: www.medpan.org
yp
Israel
Malta
Algeria
Syria
Tunisia
Morocco
¾Only the Sanctuary of
Cetaceans (Ligurian Sea) covers
~
8
million
he
(
90
%
of
MPAs)
ww.mpaglobal.org
Morocco
Croatia
Turkey
France
Spain
Gr
ee
c
e
8
million
he
(
90
%
of
MPAs)
¾Most MPAs are coastal and are
located below 50 m depth
Percentage of MPA
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Gr c
Italy
¾Most MPAs only exits on paper,
protection never enforced

8. 2. What Happens Beyond 50 m Depth?
Europe (RE 1967/2006)
Current
Le
g
islation
Europe (RE 1967/2006)
¾Seagrass:
3Nm/<50m
(Posidonia oceanica)
¾Coralligenous habitats
g
National (Spanish legislation APA/79/2006)
¾Maërl beds
¾>1000 m
Trawling
(Spanish legislation APA/79/2006)
¾According STECF
1
other Sensitive Habitats (SH) have been identified:
9
C
tl
L
t
d
bi
9
C
oas
t
a
l
L
agoons, seamon
t
san
d
su
b
mar
i
ne canyons
9Facies of the crinoidLeptometra phalangium,the cnidarianFuniculina
quadrangularisand the gorgonianIsidella elongata
9
Deep
sea
coral
mounts
with
colonies
of
the
scleractinian
Lophelia
9
Deep
-
sea
coral
mounts
with
colonies
of
the
scleractinian
Lophelia
pertusaandMadrepora oculata
¾Some o
f
this habitats has been identified as Essential Fish Habitats
(
EFH
)
()
(P. oceanica
1
, Maërl beds
1,2
,L. phalangium
1,2
)andPeysonelliabeds
2
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).

9. 3. The International Bottom Trawl MEDITS Programme
¾
Th
it ti l
MEDITS
btt
tl
dld
l
th
¾
Th
e
i
n
t
erna
ti
ona
l
MEDITS
b
o
tt
om
t
raw
l
surveys
d
eve
l
ope
d
a
l
ong
th
e
northern MED countries could represents a very good opportunity to
extend the classic objectives of fisheries management, for which MEDITS
programme
was
promoted
to
a
more
EAFM
programme
was
promoted
,
to
a
more
EAFM
.

10. 4. The Circalittoral Soft Bottoms of the
Balearic Shelf
(
WMED
)
: Hi
g
h Biodiversit
y
Habitats
()g
y
MEDTIS_ES 2001-2008 (483 samples)
Mallorca
-
Menorca
GOC73
Mallorca
-
Menorca
Acosta
005
GOC73
Source:
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 Cornid
e
de Saavedra
Cl
us
t
er
A
na
l
ys
i
s
PB
Shallow Shelf (50-90 m)
Deep Shelf (91-255 m)
CB
PeyssonneliabedsCrinoidbeds
Sd
d
btt
MB
SSM
DSM1 DSM2
Maërlbeds
Sandy-mud bottomsSandy-mud bottoms
S
an
d
y-mu
d
b
o
tt
oms

11. 4. The Circalittoral Soft Bottoms of the
Balearic Shelf
(
WMED
)
: Hi
g
h Biodiversit
y
Habitats
()g
y
Total Number of S
p
ecies
TAXON
PS
MB
SSM
CB
DSM1
DSM2
Algae
58
27
28
PB
Species
400
500
Shallow
Deep
Algae
58

27
28
Molluscs
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
15
tal Number of
100
200
300
Ascidians
50

38
39
18
16
15
Chondrichthyes
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
5000
10000
12000
14000
Mean

Biomass
(Kg km
)
Algae
5304
1451
268



Molluscs
331
365
151
46
58
49
Crustaceans
29
10
12
5
4
5
Equinoderms
468
2
815
309
650
99
15
9
Kilograms*K
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
Relative Biomass Composition
38
40
42
Equinoderms
468
2
815
309
650
99
15
9

Ascidians
366
72
100
17
4
3
Chondrichthyes
426
427
335
319
212
479
Teleosts
1399
733
2143
1779
1812
1532
Other invertebrates
35
1
70
51.4
38
21
4
8
0
MB PS SSM CB DSM1 DSM2
PB
Percentage
4
6
8
10
Other

invertebrates
35
1
70
51.4
38
21
4
8
Non-Commercial Commercial Pelagic Fish
0
2

12. 4. The Circalittoral Soft Bottoms of the
Balearic Shelf
(
WMED
)
: Hi
g
h Biodiversit
y
Habitats
()g
y
Shallow
Shelf
Demersal Resources and Habitats
Shallow
Shelf
is 2
MB
RDA Axi
PB
Deep Shelf
2 RDA Axis
CB
RDA Axis 1

13. 5. Conclusions
I
Th
Bl i
hlf
i
th
WMED
i
htid
b
th
f
I
.
Th
e
B
a
l
ear
i
cs
h
e
lf
i
n
th
e
WMED
i
sc
h
arac
t
er
i
se
d
b
y
th
e occurrence o
f
high biodiversity areas, which has been classified as SH and/or EFH.
II. These habitats are characterised by the presence of “foundation
species” which increase the structural complexity of the habitat and
support 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 numbe
r
o
f
recruits in
these habitats.
III
.
The
occurrence
of
SH
and
EFH
in
the
continental
shelf
of
the
MED
,
highlight the need of an ecosystem-based assessment and
management of the trawling fishery developed in the area.
IV. There is a need for a greater effort to know the localization and
bathymetric distribution of these habitats in the MED. The international
MEDITS surveys could represents an excellent opportunity for this
purpose.
V. The study of these habitats requires a more appropriate methodologies
for
better
characterise
the
biodiversity
(beam
trawl
and
box
-
core)
and
for
better
characterise
the
biodiversity
(beam
trawl
and
box
-
core)
and
non-destructive methods for mapping (acoustic sonar, photograph-
video sledges).

14. 5. Conclusions
VI
An
spatially
adapted
management
could
be
useful
to
preserve
these
VI
.
An
spatially
adapted
management
could
be
useful
to
preserve
these
habitats in those areas where precise cartography exist. In other areas,
in accordance with the principle of precaution, and due to the lack of
knowledge
related
with
these
habitats
it
should
be
advisable
to
extend
knowledge
related
with
these
habitats
,
it
should
be
advisable
to
extend
the prohibition of trawling on the continental shelf down to 100 m depth.
VII
Th
il bilit
f
th
dt
bt i d
f
th
Vl
Miti
St
VII
.
Th
eava
il
a
bilit
yo
f
th
e
d
a
t
ao
bt
a
i
ne
d
f
rom
th
e
V
esse
l
M
on
it
or
i
ng
S
ys
t
em
is completely necessary for an adequate scientific advise and
management.
VIII.This management
strategy could be
useful to avoid s
p
atial
p
competence for the resources and will enhance the captures of more traditional gears (artisanal and recreational) which
ld ll h
cou
ld
a
ll
ow

t
h
e

conservation of the SH and EFH in the MED.