FIMPAS WK 3 Conclusions FIMPAS WK 3 —

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

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

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

Facts → Conservation objectives: Maintain surface area & improve quality (Jak et al. 2009) CONSERVATION OBJECTIVES Cleaver Bank H 1170 Open-sea reefs Beam trawl Otter trawl Seine nets Gillnets Midwater trawl High Low Not Relevant

Proposal (Monday morning) Botney Cut H 1170 Low impact fishing Closed • Banning of beam and otter trawls in areas with H 1170 (reefs) and allowing low impact fishing within the Botney Cut. • Maintenance of seining and gillnetting effort at the 20062008 fishing effort level. 6

Proposal For the habitat type conservation objective (H 1170) H 1170 Botney Cut Otter trawl fishing Ban beam and otter trawls • Ban beam and otter trawls • Allow otter trawls within the Botney Cut 7

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 species Common guillemot Great skua Lesser black-backed gull Great black-backed gull Regularly present in the period * July – November (20, 000 birds) August – September (180 birds) (Assumed) June – July (19, 000 pairs) Late October-November (80 birds) * Conserv. Obj: - MAINTAIN

Proposal Monday Morning Frisian Front Limited effort Gillnets banned seasonally Enhanced monitoring • 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 2006 -08 level

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

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

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) CONSERVATION OBJECTIVES Beam trawl Otter trawl Seine nets Gillnets Midwater trawl Harbour porpoise Low Low Medium Low Harbour seal Low Low Low Grey seal Low Low Low

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 (2006 -2008) 16

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 (2006 -2008) 17

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

Outcome of WK 2 → Conservation objectives: Maintain surface area & improve quality (Jak et al. 2009) CONSERVATION OBJECTIVES Dogger Bank H 1110_C Sandbanks Beam trawl Otter trawl Seine nets High with Medium with Low disagreement Midwater trawl and Gillnets other pelagic gear Low Not Relevant Disagreements among industry vs. scientists: impacts of beam trawls compared to natural impact e. g. from storms

Proposed measures Monday Morning Preferred fishing Low impact fishing Closed • 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 2006 -2008 level.

Proposal Controlled fishing Gear bans • 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. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. EC guidance: proportional, enforceable Direct link to conservation objectives Spatial variability: zoning Temporal variability: seasonality Control/Enforcement International coherence Effort displacement Promote low impact fishing 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

January 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 fall Dogger Bank states workshop Consult flag states involved September FIMPAS 4 incl. stakeholders RAC Consult RAC Invite zoning proposals