Terms of Reference

Guidance on the Level of Protection of Significant Areas of Coldwater Corals and Sponge-Dominated Communities in Newfoundland and Labrador Waters

Regional Science Response Process – Newfoundland and Labrador Region

April 19, 2017
St. John’s, NL

Chairperson: Keith Clarke

Context

The purpose of Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s (DFO) Policy on Managing the Impacts of Fishing on Sensitive Benthic Areas (SBAs) is to mitigate impacts of fishing on SBAs or to avoid impacts of fishing that are likely to cause serious or irreversible harm to sensitive marine habitat, communities and species (DFO 2009). Recent science advice has identified SBAs and has estimated the overlap between these SBAs and fishing effort in Atlantic Canada and Eastern Arctic (DFO 2017). However, further guidance is required for the operational implementation of the Policy regarding which level of protection to SBAs could be deemed sufficient to deliver conservation goals.

There are no National guidelines on this topic and given the ongoing process for implementing the Policy in the Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) Region, Ecosystems Management has requested Science to provide guidance and advice on the level of protection that would be deemed sufficient to mitigate impacts of fishing on SBAs or to avoid impacts of fishing that are likely to cause serious or irreversible harm to SBAs in NL waters.

Objectives

Use existing scientific information to provide, in accordance with the precautionary and ecosystem approaches, preliminary guidance and advice on the level of protection that would be deemed sufficient to mitigate impacts of fishing on SBAs or to avoid impacts of fishing that are likely to cause serious or irreversible harm to SBAs in NL waters. This guidance should, whenever possible, consider:

1. The fraction of the SBA area and/or biomass that needs to be protected to avoid serious or irreversible harm.
2. The spatial arrangement of the potential protected areas.
3. The potential impacts of current fishing effort within SBAs.

Expected Publication

• Science Response

Participation

• Science, Newfoundland and Labrador Region and Maritimes Regions, DFO
• Ecosystems Management, Newfoundland and Labrador Region, DFO
• Fisheries Management, Newfoundland and Labrador Region, DFO
• Memorial University of Newfoundland
• Other Invited experts

References

DFO. 2009. Development of a Framework and Principles for the Biogeographic Classification of Canadian Marine Areas. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2009/056.

DFO. 2017. Delineation of Significant Areas of Coldwater Corals and Sponge-Dominated Communities in Canada's Atlantic and Eastern Arctic Marine Waters and their Overlap with Fishing Activity. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2017/007.