FIMPAS WK 3 Conclusions FIMPAS WK 3 - Den Helder, NL, 26 th Jan 2011

General Messages FIMPAS WK 3 - Den Helder, NL, 26 th Jan 2011 Monitoring - Funding Adaptive management (no time limits) New gear technology

Cleaver Bank Habitats Directive FIMPAS WK 3 - Den Helder, NL, 26 th Jan 2011

CONSERVATION OBJECTIVESBeam trawlOtter trawlSeine netsGillnetsMidwater trawl Cleaver Bank H1170 Open-sea reefs High Low Not Relevant Facts → Conservation objectives: Maintain surface area & improve quality (Jak et al. 2009)

6 Proposal (Monday morning) Banning of beam and otter trawls in areas with H1170 (reefs) and allowing low impact fishing within the Botney Cut. Maintenance of seining and gillnetting effort at the fishing effort level. Closed Low impact fishing H1170 Botney Cut

7 Proposal For the habitat type conservation objective (H1170) Ban beam and otter trawls Allow otter trawls within the Botney Cut Ban beam and otter trawls Otter trawl fishing H1170 Botney Cut

Cleaver Bank proposal (25 January)

Cleaver Bank procedure (Alternative proposal) Workshop 3 Submission of proposal (1 March) Sharepoint Decision Steering group 1 April

Frisian Front Birds Directive FIMPAS WK 3 - Den Helder, NL, 26 th Jan 2011

Conservation Objectives Bird speciesRegularly present in the period * Common guillemotJuly – November (20,000 birds) Great skuaAugust – September (180 birds) Lesser black-backed gull(Assumed) June – July (19,000 pairs) Great black-backed gullLate October-November (80 birds) * Conserv. Obj:- MAINTAIN

Proposal Monday Morning Allow gillnetting in seasons when the birds do not occur (December-May), i.e. ban gillnetting in June – November (noting that p.5 of Fisheries Measures report says July-Aug (after Jak et al 2009) All vessels (including below 15 m-length-overall vessels) need to register VMS data Freeze gillnetting, trawling and seining effort at level Limited effort Gillnets banned seasonally Frisian Front Enhanced monitoring

Proposal For the sea bird conservation objective Ban gillnetting from 1 st June to 30 th November Limited effort Gillnets banned seasonally Frisian Front Enhanced monitoring

Harbour Porpoise FIMPAS WK 3 - Den Helder, NL, 26 th Jan 2011

CONSERVATION OBJECTIVESBeam trawlOtter trawlSeine netsGillnetsMidwater trawl Harbour porpoiseLow MediumLow Harbour sealLow Grey sealLow Facts → Conservation objective set for non-qualifying HD annex species → Conservation objective at site level (Dogger Bank, Cleaver Bank): Maintain quality of living area (Jak et al. 2009)

16 Proposal Monday Morning Two-tier approach: Harbour porpoise species protection plan at population scale, taking other ICES advice into account (e.g. recent advice on EC 812/2004) At site level: Conservation objective delivered through maintaining gillnetting effort at current levels ( )

17 Proposal Develop (during 2011) and implement Harbour porpoise species protection plan at population scale (North Sea) Deliver conservation objective through capping gillnetting effort at current levels ( )

Dogger Bank Habitats Directive FIMPAS WK 3 - Den Helder, NL, 26 th Jan 2011

Outcome of WK2 → Conservation objectives: Maintain surface area & improve quality (Jak et al. 2009) CONSERVATION OBJECTIVES Beam trawlOtter trawl Seine nets Gillnets Midwater trawl and other pelagic gear Dogger Bank H1110_C Sandbanks High with disagreement Medium with disagreement Low Not Relevant Disagreements among industry vs. scientists: impacts of beam trawls compared to natural impact e.g. from storms

Low impact fishing Closed Preferred fishing Proposed measures Monday Morning Beam and otter trawls should be banned Zoning approach allowing ‘environmental friendly trawling’ The no-trawling zone should include representatives of all habitat communities. Gillnet and demersal seine fisheries should be maintained at the level.

Gear bans Controlled fishing Proposal Ban beam, otter trawls, demersal seines in specific areas; in other areas controlled fishing. The areas will include various benthic communities on the Dogger Bank. Note: This is done with the purposes of conservation, understanding recovery and human impact.

Proposed measures (experiment to improve knowledge) Detailed examination (full Dogger Bank) of currently available knowledge Large scale experiment (areas with controlled fishing compared to areas with no fishing)

Dogger Bank International Coherence FIMPAS WK 3 - Den Helder, NL, 26 th Jan 2011

Key Principles for evaluating management proposals 1.EC guidance: proportional, enforceable 2.Direct link to conservation objectives 3.Spatial variability: zoning 4.Temporal variability: seasonality 5.Control/Enforcement 6.International coherence 7.Effort displacement 8.Promote low impact fishing 9.One principle should not be upheld at the expense of another

Summary: Changes in proposals vs principles 1.Freeze of effort 2.Mammals 3.Dogger Bank 4.Cleaver Bank 5.Frisian Front 1.Enforceability: scale 2.Enforceability: scale 3.Internationale coherence, zoning 4.Proportionality, enforceability, link to conservation objective 5.Enforceability, CFP policy

FIMPAS 3 TOR for continued work by ICES + Preparatory steps * Inventory natural values / benthic communities * Integration conservation objectives at operational level * analysis / evaluation different proposals Consult RAC Invite zoning proposals Dogger Bank states workshop Consult flag states involved FIMPAS 4 incl. stakeholders RAC September January fall