Interpretation of terms in SOP for the Deep-Sea Resources Exploration Penchan Laongmanee SEAFDEC/TD Regional workshop on the Standard Operating Procedure and Development/Improvement of Sampling Gears for the Deep-Sea Resource Exploration, May 2009, SEAFDEC/TD

The meeting requested to identify the following topic for the common understanding for SOP preparation Scope of deep-sea area Deep sea fisheries resource sampling gears Indicators for deep-sea resources survey Indicator for the impact of fishing to ecosystem Expected output

Scope of deep-sea area for SOP FAO considered deepwater fisheries as those fisheries that occur beyond the continental shelf/slope break which typically occurs at about 200 m. The current technology limit of these fisheries is about 2000 m. Fig1. from FAO,2007, p40

Organization/country/Ref.DepthRemarks FAO (deepwater fisheries)>200 m (beyond continental shelf/slope break) Most of catch from deep water fisheries, generally occur at depth less than 500 m. (from stat) ICES (deepwater fisheries)>400 m New zealand (deepwater fisheries) Center>500 mDeepwater fisheries beyond 500 m are important (for ex. Orange roughy fisheries) D.J. Randall and A.P.Farrell (Deep-sea fishes) >1000 mPermanently unlit by sunlight, abiotic and biotic factors show relatively little variation in both time & space SEAFDEC (Target survey area)Need input > 100 m ?? Close to, or in contact with, the seafloor much of the time, and benthopelagic species that are associated with the seafloor What is the Deepwater fisheries?

Depth of commercial trawl fisheries in SEA countries CountryDepth (m) (Commercial trawl)Remark Brunei< 100 m> 200 m (taxa) IndonesiaUp to >100 m>100 m, Malaysia< 100 m> 100 m Myanmar? Philippine< 100 m>200 m Thailand< 100 m VietnamUp to > 100 mBelow photic zone (by ecosystem), >200 m Scope of deep-sea area for SOP Dr. Charatsee  base on photic zone, >200 m Base on continental break + sea mouth

Deep sea area in ASEAN water ETOPO1 Data, 1 minute resolution from: prepared by Siripornhttp://

Scope of Deep-sea area for SOP for the deep-sea resource exploration in SEA water is > 100 m ? > 200 m ? Scope of deep-sea area for SOP Demersal species which are close to, or in contact with, the seafloor much of the time, and benthopelagic species that are associated with the seafloor.

FAO Report of Expert Consultation on Deep-Sea Fisheries in the High Seas. p Another aspect of deep-sea fisheries is their relationships to the water column or sea floor. Fisheries for mesopelagic and benthopelagic species, which live in the water column without association with the sea floor, might be considered deep water fisheries ( as the species occur at depths of at least 200 m). However, these species generally do not grow to a large enough size to make them valuable commercial fisheries and/or they have not proven to be viable commercial fisheries due to processing or marketing problems. Their distribution may be too diffuse to make fishing them practical. The important deepwater fisheries are for demersal species which are close to, or in contact with, the seafloor much of the time, and benthopelagic species that are associated with the seafloor. Deep sea fishery: water column and/or sea floor? Scope of deep-sea area for SOP

Deep sea area in ASEAN water ETOPO1 Data, 1 minute resolution from: prepared by Siripornhttp://

Deep sea fisheries resources sampling gears Beam trawl, Agasszi trawl, Bottom Trawl, mid-water trawl Demersal longline, Vertical line Traps/pot Bottom gill net Picture modified from

Trawl-able area  Trawl From Dr.Y.Matsushita presentation Advantage : Accurate sampling effort (e.g. geometric space, operated duration) => better index of abundance Samplings are mobile in space and time Larger sample size increase statistical precision Selectivity Disadvantage : Costly Deep sea fisheries resources sampling gears

Untrawl-able area  bottom longline/vertical line, trap/pot or bottom gill net From Dr.Y.Matsushita presentation Advantage: Relatively simple in design, construction, and use less machineries Disadvantage: relative abundance available environment dependent selectivity (selective gear) Deep sea fisheries resources sampling gears

Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries part C : Regional Guidelines on the use of indicators for the sustainable development and management of capture fisheries in Southeast Asian advise that “ Fisheries Indicators” is generally referred as a practical tool to support management of Fisheries. “Fisheries Indicator” provides information on status and trend of fisheries and resources, which can support the decision making process. Indicators for deep-sea resources survey

Resource indicators that SEAFDEC pilot projects in capture fisheries management applied are: CPUE (CPUA ?) Yield (for trawl) Catch composition Number of species caught Average landing size (average catch size) Size of mature resource Indicators for deep-sea resources survey Can we use these parameter as an indicator for deep-sea resource survey?

Summary information from participants CountrySurvey methodUnit of indicator Japantrawl (commercial boat)CPUE (Kg/hr) Thailand (MRC) Beam trawl Agassiz trawl Otter trawl ? ? (for biodiversity) ? Malaysiatrawl (1 hr) BVL, Trap, CPUE (Kg/hr) Kg/100 traps Kg/station Brunei Darussalam trawlCPUA (Kg/km 2 ) Indicators for deep-sea resources survey

CountrySurvey methodUnit of indicator IndonesiaDeep sea trawlCPUE (kg/hr) MyanmarTrawl BVL CPUE Kg/hr No./1000 hooks PhilippineTrawl Trap CPUA (kg/km 2 ) g/trap/hr VietnamTrawlCPUE (kg/hr) Indicators for deep-sea resources survey

Fishing gearindicatorunit TrawlCPUE?Kg/hr?, Kg/km 2 CPUA,Kg/km 2 ? Line BVL, VL CPUE kg/1000 hooks ? and/or no/1000 hooks Trap/potCPUE Kg/100 traps ? And/or no/100 traps Bottom gill netCPUE kg/km net ? Indicators for deep-sea resources survey For SOP

Following is criteria in the identification of vulnerable marine ecosystems and assessing significant adverse impacts from fisheries that we should avoid to utilize the resources. 1. Uniqueness or rarity –an area or ecosystem that is unique or that contains rare species whose loss could not be compensated for by similar areas or ecosystems. These included: -Habitats that contain endemic species; -Habitat of rare, threatened or endangered species that occur only in discrete areas; or -Nurseries or discrete feeding, breeding, or spawning areas. Indicator for the impact of fishing to ecosystem Guideline for the management of Deep-Sea Fisheries in the High Seas (FAO,2008)

2. Functional significance of the habitat – discrete areas or habitat that are necessary for the survival, function, spawning/reproduction or recovery of fish stocks, particular life history stages (e.g. nursery grounds or rearing areas), or of rare, threatened or endangered marine species. 3. Fragility- an ecosystem that is highly susceptible to degradation by anthropogenic activities. 4. Life- history traits of component species that make recovery difficult-ecosystems that are characterized by populations or assemblages of species with one or more of the following characteristics: -Slow growth rates; -Late age of maturity; -Low or unpredictable recruitment; or -Long-lived Indicator for the impact of fishing to ecosystem

5. Structural complexity- an ecosystem that is characterized by complex physical structures created by significant concentrations of biotic and abiotic features. In these ecosystems, ecological processes are usually highly dependent on these structured systems. Further, such ecosystems often have high diversity, which is dependent on the structuring organisms. Can we consider the above list as an indicator for the impact of fishing to ecosystem of SEA water? Indicator for the impact of fishing to ecosystem

References FAO.2008.Report of the FAO workshop on vulnerable ecosystems and destructive fishing in deep-sea fisheries.18pp. FAO.2007.Report and documentation of the expert consultation on deep- sea fisheries in high seas.203pp. FAO Report of the expert consultation on international guidelines for the management of deep-sea in the high seas. 39pp. FAO Report of the technical consultation on international guidelines for the management of deep-sea fisheries in the high seas M. Machete, T. Morato and G. Menezes Modelling the distributionof two fish species on seamounts of the Azores. FAO fisheries proceeding 3/1: Conference on the Governance and Management of Deep-sea Fisheries End

Fishery resources exploration on the continental slopes in the Lingayen Gulf