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,
Maria VALLS, Biel POMAR, Michel J. KAISER
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
Contents
1. Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management
1 E
t
B
d Fi h i M
t
a. Impact of Trawling on Species and Habitats
b a e o ec ed eas
b. Marine Protected Areas
2. What Happens Beyond 50 m Depth?
3.
3 The International Bottom Trawl MEDITS Programme
4. The Circalittoral Soft Bottoms of the Balearic Shelf
5.
5 Conclusions

3. 1. Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management :
Linking species, habitats and fisheries
g p
,
Seagrass
Bare sandy/mud
Bottoms
Habitats
Estuaries
Coral reefs
Rocky bottoms
Throughout their lives fish species may use many
different habitats to support breeding, spawning,
nursery, feeding and protection functions.
Fisheries are i
Fi h i
inextricably li k d t
t i bl
linked to h lth
healthy marine
i
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
Bottom t
B tt
trawling i one of th most d
li
is
f the
t damaging gears d
i
due t th amount of
to the
t f
discards and habitat destruction (MED: Multi-specific fishery).
Number of species: 100≤X≤300 (~100 of commercial interest)
p
(
)
Amount of discards: 20≤X≤70 % of the catch
% of discards b d th i diff
f di
d by depth in different ports
t
t
Port
Fuengirola
Santa Pola
Valencia
Palma
Alcúdia
Al údi
Pisa
Vilanova
Mallorca
Vilanova
Average
Year
1995-96
1995-96
1995-96
1995-96
1995-96
1995-96
1995-96
1996-97
1996 97
1995-96
<150 m
45
23
23
69
55
32
48
63
45
151-350 m
55
56
27
62
44
21
17
19
38
>350 m)
42
24
21
19
14
22
22
42
19
25

5. 1a. Impact of Trawling on Species and Habitats
Bottom t
B tt
trawling i one of th most d
li
is
f the
t damaging gears d
i
due t th amount of
to the
t f
discards and habitat destruction (MED: Multi-specific fishery).
Number of species: 100≤X≤300 (~100 of commercial interest)
p
(
)
Amount of discards: 20≤X≤70 % of the catch
Sampling on Board (Mallorca 2001-2007)
Mean Biomass
Discards Composition
1200
100
1000
Percen
ntage (%)
80
Tons
800
600
400
40
20
200
0
60
SS
Discards
DS
US
Fishing Tactic
Landings
MS
Pisces
0
Algae
g
Echinoidea
SS
DS
US
Fishing Tactic
Crustacea
Mollusca
MS
Others
SS: shallow shelf (50-100 m) DS: deep shelf (101-200 m) US: upper slope (201-500 m) MS: middle slope (501-800 m)

6. 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
cultural heritage, and also sustainable production.

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

8. 2. What Happens Beyond 50 m Depth?
Europe (RE 1967/2006)
Current
Legislation
g
Trawling
National
(Spanish legislation APA/79/2006)
Seagrass: 3 Nm/<50 m
(Posidonia oceanica)
Coralligenous habitats
Maërl beds
>1000 m
According STECF1 other Sensitive Habitats (SH) have been identified:
Coastal L
C
t l Lagoons, seamonts and submarine canyons
t
d
b
i
Facies of the crinoid Leptometra phalangium, the cnidarian Funiculina
quadrangularis and the gorgonian Isidella elongata
Deep-sea
Deep sea coral mounts with colonies of the scleractinian Lophelia
pertusa and Madrepora oculata
Some of this habitats has been identified as Essential Fish Habitats (EFH)
(
)
(P. oceanica1, Maërl beds1,2, L. phalangium1,2) and Peysonellia beds2
Little is know about these Habitats
(1)Report
Location?
of the SGMED of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (2006).
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).
(2)Ordines

9. 3. The International Bottom Trawl MEDITS Programme
The international MEDITS b tt
Th i t
ti
l
bottom t
trawl surveys d
l
developed along th
l
d l
the
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
promoted,
EAFM.

10. 4. The Circalittoral Soft Bottoms of the
Balearic Shelf (WMED): High Biodiversity Habitats
(
)
g
y
MEDTIS_ES 2001-2008 (483 samples)
Source: Acosta
2005
Mallorca-Menorca
GOC73
R/V F. P. Navarro
Eivissa-Formentera
Cluster A l i
Cl t Analysis
R/V Cornide de Saavedra
Macro Epi-benthic species of the Continental Shelf (279 samples)
Shallow Shelf (50-90 m)
Deep Shelf (91-255 m)
Crinoid beds
CB
PB
Peyssonnelia beds
MB
Maërl beds
Sandy-mud b tt
S d
d bottoms
DSM1
Sandy-mud bottoms
Sandy-mud bottoms
DSM2
SSM

11. 4. The Circalittoral Soft Bottoms of the
Balearic Shelf (WMED): High Biodiversity Habitats
(
)
g
y
Percentage
Kilograms*K -2
Km
Total Number of Species
Shallow
42
40
38
10
500
400
Deep
300
200
100
0
14000
12000
10000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
Total Number of Species
TAXON
Algae
Molluscs
Crustaceans
Equinoderms
Ascidians
Chondrichthyes
Teleosts
Other invertebrates
PS
PB
58
67
38
31
50
19
85
67
MB
27
51
25
27
38
18
61
46
SSM
28
49
24
32
39
10
73
54
268
151
12
309
100
335
2143
51.4
DSM1
DSM2
22
10
24
18
11
59
16
37
28
27
16
15
75
32
43
23
27
15
12
79
40
46
5
650
17
319
1779
38
58
4
99
4
212
1812
21
49
5
159
3
479
1532
48
CB
Mean Biomass (Kg km-2)
(Kg*km
PS MB SSM CB DSM1 DSM2
PB
Relative Biomass Composition
8
6
4
2
0
Non-Commercial Commercial
Pelagic Fish
Algae
Molluscs
Crustaceans
Equinoderms
Ascidians
Chondrichthyes
Teleosts
Other invertebrates
5304
331
29
4682
366
426
1399
351
1451
365
10
815
72
427
733
70

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

13. 5. Conclusions
I.
I
The Balearic shelf i th WMED i characterised b th occurrence of
Th B l
i
h lf in the
is h
t i d by the
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
species present high abundance, biomass and number of recruits in
these habitats.
III.
III The occurrence of SH and EFH in the continental shelf of the MED
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
non-destructive methods for mapping (acoustic sonar, photographvideo sledges).

14. 5. Conclusions
VI.
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
habitats,
the prohibition of trawling on the continental shelf down to 100 m
depth.
VII. The
VII Th availability of th d t obtained f
il bilit
f the data bt i d from th V
the Vessel M it i
l Monitoring S t
System
is completely necessary for an adequate scientific advise and
management.
VIII.This management
strategy could be
useful to avoid spatial
p
competence for the
resources and will
enhance the captures
of more traditional
gears (artisanal and
recreational) which
could allow the
ld ll
h
conservation of the SH
and EFH in the MED.