Agenda Item 5 / MASH04/5/ -E
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OSPAR CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT OF THE NORTH-EAST ATLANTIC

MEETING OF THE WORKING GROUP ON MARINE PROTECTED AREAS SPECIES AND HABITATS (MASH)

TROMSØ (NORWAY): 5-8 OCTOBER 2004

Protection of cold-water coral reefs
- Comments on document MASH04/5/1-E in relation to document MASH 04/3/3-E –
Presented by WWF

Background

  1. This submission provides WWF‘s comments on the document Progress in mapping cold-water coral reefs, measures already in place and possible further steps (MASH 04/5/1) presented by UK and Norway in light of the section on Lophelia pertusa reefs in the document Management measures for threatened and/or declining species and habitats on the initial OSPAR list (MASH 04/3/3) as presented by the Netherlands.
  1. While the effort to identify threats to cold-water coral reefs other than fishing is considered highly useful there appears a striking gap between this additional action and the state of implementation of the first element in the 2003 Ministerial commitment i.e.“to take immediate measures to protect coral reefs from further damage due to use of active fishing gear” (§ 12 Bremen Statement). It always needs to be borne in mind that once a coral reef is wiped out by trawling it will be too late to tackle threats other than fishing..
  1. The follow-up to Bremen is only briefly addressed in chapter “5Management Measures” of the section on Lophelia pertusa reefs in MASH 04/3/3. WWF has provided a thorough policy analysis of measures to protect cold-water coral reefs in the OSPAR Maritime Area since the first pertinent Norwegian legislation came in place in 1999. In this respect, reference is made to WWF‘s submissions OSPAR 03/04/Info08 and/or BDC 04/4/1-E.
  2. The most recent update of WWF‘s analysis was presented to the OSPAR Commission Meeting in Reykjavik as document OSPAR 04/5/6-E. In this document, WWF focussed on the status of progress on implementation of § 12 Bremen Statement in EU waters and pointed out that additional protective measures beyond the singular Darwin Mounds regulation are urgently required including in OSPAR Region 5 (Azores waters and High Seas). WWF alerted OSPAR about new legal provisions of the EC for fishing access to the “Western Waters” which were expected to increase trawling pressure and jeopardise protection efforts for cold-water corals in other parts of the North-East Atlantic.
  3. An update to this analysis is provided at Annex 1 making reference to the European Court decision (interim measures) on the Azores case of July 2004 as well as the European Commission proposal COM(2004)555 final of 16 August 2004 for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 2278/2003 as concerns the number of days at sea for vessels fishing for haddock in the North Sea and the use of bottom trawls in waters around the Azores, the Canary Islands and Madeira.
  4. While concrete measures to prevent damage to cold-water coral reefs from fishing in this vast part of the OSPAR Maritime Area continue to be at stake it becomes also clear from the review provided in document MASH 04/5/1 that the waters west of France, Portugal, Spain and around the Macaronesian islands are the areas where mapping of cold-water coral reefs has been conducted least consistently and the database is most scarce. Also see map included in WWF‘s glossy cold-water corals brochure at MASH 04/5/Info.02-E.
  1. In 2003 already, ICES ACE had advised “that the only way to protect cold-water coral reefs from fishing damage is to map the reefs precisely and to close those areas to those forms of fishing that cause damage“. WWF believes that the following steps are required to make this happen in practice, some of which would be beneficial to cope with threats other than fisheries, too:
  1. OSPAR to draw the attention of competent fisheries authorities to the need for introducing general mitigation measures in Arctic waters, Celtic Seas, Iberian waters and the Wider Atlantic (beyond examples referred to in the 2004 correspondences e.g. Rockall Bank);
  2. Contracting Parties to enhance designation of known reefs as OSPAR MPAs and/or EU SACs; and in parallel to implement/ask for fisheries measures;
  3. Contracting Parties to increase funding for mapping, scientific research and advisory bodies responsible for marine conservation;
  4. OSPAR in liaison with ICES, based on considerably increased national efforts, to fill the gaps in mapping the occurrence of reefs in the Maritime Area.
  5. OSPAR to provide a forum for developing regional management plans for cold-water coral habitats, including a network of cold-water coral protected areas and generic management measures/recommendations based on an ecosystem-based approach to management of human activities.

(cf. chapter “7 Recommendations for further measures and activities” of the section on Lophelia pertusa reefs in MASH 04/3/3.

Action requested

  1. MASH is invited to consider WWFs comments when reviewing its proposals for further action needed to protect cold-water coral reefs, both from fishing impacts and threats other than fishing.

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OSPAR CommissionMASH04/5/ -E