Call to Action

The new EU regulation for the management of deep-sea fishing in the Northeast Atlantic should contain the following key elements:

1. A phase-out of deep-sea bottom trawling and bottom gillnet fishing;
2. Require prior environmental impact assessments for all deep-sea bottom fisheries, including deep-sea fishing in existing fishing areas as well as new fishing areas, before allowing any deep-sea fishing to take place and that the impact assessments be conducted consistent with the globally agreed standards established by the UN General Assembly and the UN FAO International Guidelines for the Management of Deep-Sea Fisheries in the High Seas;
3. Ensure that the catch of all deep-sea species is regulated and that fishing only be permitted if the catch, including any bycatch or catch of non-target species, can be limited to sustainable levels based on a clear scientific understanding of the status of the species and the impact of fishing;
4. Require deep-sea fisheries to be managed to prevent the catch of vulnerable, threatened, or endangered species such as deep-sea sharks;
5. Ensure that all deep-sea fisheries are managed to prevent adverse impacts on vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems such as deep-sea coral, sponge and seamount ecosystems, including through requiring that areas are closed to deep-sea bottom fishing where vulnerable marine ecosystems are known or likely to occur unless conservation and management measures are in place that will prevent significant adverse impacts on such ecosystems.