Close Europe's cold-water coral reefs to fishing

In a recent report to the European Commission, scientists from ICES have warned that the only way to protect Europe's cold-water coral reefs is to accurately map them and then close them to fishing trawlers.

Research has shown that cold-water coral in the northeast Atlantic is being seriously damaged by towed nets, which can break up the reef structure, damage the sensitive coral polyps and swamp the reef with sediment. The most common species in the northeast Atlantic is Lophelia pertusa and closed areas for this species have already been used as a protection measure in Norway and Sweden.

The report was produced in response to a request by the European Commission for advice on the impacts of fishing on cold-water coral reefs. ICES is the main provider of scientific advice to the European Commission on fisheries and environment issues in the northeast Atlantic. David Griffith, General Secretary of ICES, said today,

"Towing a heavy trawl net through a cold-water coral reef is a bit like driving a bulldozer through a nature reserve. The only practical way of protecting these reefs is therefore to find out where they are and then prevent boats from trawling over them. We know that most fishing boat skippers would rather steer clear of coral reefs, as the reefs can damage their gear, so producing accurate maps will actually help them to avoid these areas".

ICES has also advised that current by-catch recording schemes for fishing vessels should be widened to include records of Lophelia. This will help identify the main areas where fishing pressure is having an effect on reefs.

Protecting cold-water coral reefs

The EU Habitats and Birds Directives are the main legal tool for nature conservation around Europe. These Directives allow Member States to set up two types of protected areas; Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) for wildlife habitats and species and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for birds.

Until recently, Member States had only applied the Directives to territorial waters (up to 12 miles from the coast) thereby excluding cold-water coral reefs which are generally further offshore.

But, following a court ruling in 1999, the UK government - subsequently followed by most other EU governments - accepted that the EU Habitats and Birds Directives applied to their waters out to 200 nm offshore. This effectively means that legal protection of cold-water coral reefs, through Special Areas of Conservation, is now a possibility.

What is cold-water coral?

Europe's cold-water coral reefs are similar to coral reefs in tropical seas except that they don't need sunlight to survive and so can live in the depths of the North Atlantic Ocean. Unlike their tropical relatives that mainly rely on microscopic algae in their tissues for sustenance, cold-water corals feed by capturing food particles from the surrounding water.

Lophelia pertusa is the most common cold-water coral species and is formed by a colony of organisms called polyps that produce a hard carbonate skeleton. It is normally found at depths of between 200 and 1000 metres.

On average the coral structure grows at the rate of 1mm in height per year and the highest reefs found so far have been measured at an impressive 35m at Sula Ridge off the Norwegian coast. Reef structures take centuries to form and fragments taken from the reef at Sula have been dated as being 8500 years old.

Further information:
Download the ICES report on cold-water corals

For further information about ICES please contact:

Neil Fletcher
Communication Officer.
International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.
Palægade 2-4, DK-1261, Copenhagen K, Denmark.
Tel (0045) 3315 2677 Fax (0045) 3392 4215
E-mail neilf@ices.dk

For further information about cold-water corals please contact:

Mark Tasker
JNCC
Dunnet House
7, Thistle Place
Aberdeen AB10 1UZ
United Kingdom
Tel: 0044 (0)1224 655 701
Fax: 0044 (0)1224 621 488
Mobile: 0044 (0)7971 078441
E-mail: tasker_m@jncc.gov.uk

NOTES FOR EDITORS

ICES is the organisation that coordinates and promotes marine research in the North Atlantic. This includes adjacent seas such as the Baltic Sea and North Sea. ICES acts as a meeting point for a community of more than 1600 marine scientists from 19 countries around the North Atlantic.

Scientists working through ICES gather information about the marine ecosystem. As well as filling gaps in existing knowledge, this information is also developed into unbiased, non-political advice. The advice is then used by the 19 member countries, which fund and support ICES, to help them manage the North Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas. The annual budget is 25 million dkk.

ICES plans and coordinates marine research through a system of committees, more than 100 working groups, symposia, and an Annual Science Conference. Most meetings take place either at the ICES Headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark, or in the member countries.
ICES has been based in Copenhagen, Denmark, since 1902. Today, we have a Secretariat of 38 staff who provide scientific, administrative and secretarial support to the ICES Community of over 1600 marine scientists.

ICES
H. C. Andersens -
Boulevard 44-46
DK-1553
Copenhagen V
Denmark
Tel: +45 3338 6700
Fax: +45 3393 4215
info@ices.dk