The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has revealed new evidence that deep sea trawling is destroying seamount ecosystems which are home to a diversity of species, many of which are new to science.
The scientific report was outlined by Dr Alex D. Rogers, ZSL Senior Research Fellow, at a Scientific Meeting on Deep-Sea Biology. The Society has said that significant areas that have a high likelihood of harbouring vulnerable marine ecosystems have been identified and will now be communicated to governments, fisheries managers and the fishing industry in an effort to stop the destruction and devastation caused by deep sea trawling in these areas.
Dr Rogers stated: “Our research actively demonstrates the vulnerability of deep-sea corals and their associated biodiversity to trawling across seamounts. Some of the corals destroyed are thousands of years old and will not be replaced. Fish hundreds of years old are also being decimated as a result of the trawling.
“Our results show that oceanic areas not covered by the Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) and other binding regional agreements are home to significant unique aquatic biodiversity. In the case of deep sea trawling it is, therefore, essential that the burden of proof shifts to Governments and fisheries when deciding whether it is appropriate to exploit these irreplaceable ecosystems.”
Key points of the report include:
52% of the world’s seamounts are located beyond areas controlled by RFMOs.
Deep-water trawl fisheries occur in areas beyond national jurisdiction for around 20 major fish species including orange roughy, alfonsino, roundnose grenadier and Patagonian toothfish. The areas found to be suitable for fishing for these commercial species are, broadly speaking, the southern Indian Ocean, South Atlantic, North Atlantic and South Pacific Ocean.
Stony corals that are prominent on sampled seamounts create and maintain habitat for other organisms, so trawling on these corals can impact on all associated species. The most favourable areas for corals were found to be located in the North Atlantic Ocean, and in a band between 20°S and 60°S in the Southern Hemisphere.
Comparing the distributions of the commercially trawled fish, fishing effort and coral habitat on seamounts, reveals a broad band of the southern Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans between 20°S and 60°S where likely ecosystem damage could be extremely significant. This suggests that further commercial exploration for alfonsino and orange roughy fisheries on large seamounts in the central-eastern Southern Indian Ocean, the southern portions of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the South Atlantic, and some regions of the southern-central Pacific Oceans are likely to impact negatively on diverse seamount ecosystems.
