The European Commission closed 87 deep-sea fishing areas in November 2022, and a new study has found that the decision resulted in an 81-percent reduction in bottom-contact fishing effort in vulnerable ecosystems over the following year.
The study, published in “Science Advances,” used Global Fishing Watch data to determine pre- and post-closure fishing effort in vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) subject to the closures, finding that pre-closure fishing effort totaled an estimated 19,000 hours, which reduced to 3,500 fishing hours post-closure.
“This is extremely promising and shows that closures are effective. However, if governments do not monitor and enforce the closures, they will not work,” Natasha Mallet, a co-author of the study, said. “In a battle to see who can grab the most as quickly as possible with no legal repercussions, industrial fisheries will always win, and fishermen who have abided by the closures will lose out.”
The closures followed goals laid out in the E.U.’s Deep-Sea Access Regulation, enacted in 2017, which banned bottom trawling for deep-sea species below 800 meters and required the protection of known VMEs between 400 meters and 800 meters.
“While some argue that deep-sea habitats are ‘out of sight, out of mind,’ their degradation can have cascading effects on ocean health and human well-being. Healthy oceans regulate climate, ensure food security, and support economic stability. Marine ecosystems are deeply interconnected, and damage to deep-sea environments can ripple across the entire ocean,” Lissette Victorero, the study’s lead author, said.
Only 10 percent of ocean areas between 400 meters and 800 meters are effectively protected, and below 800 meters, no meaningful protections exist, according to Victorero.
“Given the potential for irreversible harm … the precautionary principle dictates that conserving these habitats now is essential to preventing future ecological crises. Protecting these ecosystems ensures long-term ocean health, which is inextricably linked to human health and survival,” Victorero said.
Spain recorded the highest fishing effort within protected VME areas …
