Research Document - 2006/057
Impacts of Mobile Bottom Gears on Seafloor Habitats, Species, and Communities: A Review and Synthesis of Selected International Reviews
By Rice, J.
Abstract
Since 2000, five major reviews of the impacts of mobile bottom-contacting fishing gears on benthic species, communities, and habitats have been conducted by international or independent science-based organizations. The bodies are the International Council for Exploration of the Seas, The US National Academy of Sciences, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, and the American Fisheries Society.
This paper first summarizes the mandate and approach taken in each separate review, and tabulated the conclusions and recommendations of each review separately. These review-specific conclusions are evaluated in terms of any qualifications placed on them in the original report, and their potential relevance for Canadian fisheries. Next the paper cross-tabulates similar conclusions and recommendations across the five source documents, looking for generalities across studies but paying special attention to contradictory conclusions across sources, and qualifications proposed by any one source which have relevance for similar conclusions drawn from other sources.
From this cross-tabulation, 27 specific general conclusions and recommendations are extracted in the final section of this document. These are partitioned into conclusions about effects of mobile bottom-contacting gears on physical features of the seafloor, effects of such gears on benthic species and communities, considerations in the application of adoption of mitigation measures, and recommendations for management of mobile bottom-contacting gears. Within each group, conclusions or recommendations are ordered by the strength and breadth of support across the five studies that were reviewed. The results of this evaluation of international studies and reviews need to be combined with the findings of Canadian studies, to provide a science basis for policy and management of these gears in Canada.
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