The European Commission announced on Thursday 15 September the adoption of measures to close 87 sensitive areas to all bottom gears in Community waters of the North East Atlantic.
The implementing act limiting deep-sea fishing in certain areas to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems will therefore enter into force towards the end of September, as announced by the Commission in July (see EUROPE 12992/8).
Based on the 2016 Regulation establishing specific conditions for fishing for deep-sea stocks in the North-East Atlantic (see EUROPE 12986/16) and advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), the new Regulation (implementing act) protects 57 vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems while aiming to cause the least possible disruption to fishing activities.
Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, said that by closing access for bottom fishing gear to 17% of the area between 400 and 800 metres deep in Community waters in the North-East Atlantic, “we are delivering on our commitment to protect and restore marine life and, four years later, we are finally implementing one of the key provisions of the Deep Sea Access Regulation”.
The closed area is located off the coasts of Ireland, France, Portugal and Spain, beyond a depth of 400m.
The total closure area is 16,419 km2 reserved for the protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems below 400 metres. This represents 1.16% of Community waters in the North East Atlantic.
The closures concern vessels equipped with bottom gears, i.e. bottom trawls, dredges, bottom gillnets, bottom longlines, pots and traps. The measure was developed following extensive consultations with Member States and stakeholders, including the fishing industry and NGOs, over the past two years.
Following the ban on bottom trawling below 800 metres, which was introduced in 2016, these closures offer additional protection to help restore vulnerable marine ecosystems such as cold-water coral reefs, seamounts and deep-water rifts.
The adopted implementing act will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union and will be immediately applicable to all EU Member States’ and third countries’ vessels operating in EU waters.
NGOs applaud. NGOs, including Oceana, have welcomed the adoption of these measures and are calling for a progressive ban on bottom trawling. “It’s a day of bliss. The remarkable deep-sea ecosystems beyond 400 meters will finally stop being crushed by huge industrial gear”, commented the NGO Bloom. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)