Crucial upcoming opportunity for the EU to deliver sound protection for seamounts, other Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems and deep-sea biodiversity in EU waters

A coalition of NGOs calls on the European Commission to implement strict area closures to bottom fishing in EU waters to protect deep-sea biodiversity, specifically advocating for a combination of ICES advice scenarios and 'VME elements' to prevent further destruction from bottom trawling.

• A recent evaluation of the EU's deep-sea fisheries Regulation ((EU) 2016/2336) found that progress in closing areas to bottom fishing to protect deep-sea corals and other vulnerable species in EU waters is now three years overdue.
• The signatory organizations recommend that the European Commission adopt a combination of Scenario 1/Option 2 and Scenario 2/Option 1 (or Scenario 2/Option 1 + “VME elements”) from the ICES advice published in January 2021 to ensure the best protection for VMEs and seamounts.
• Seamounts are identified as biodiversity hotspots that are particularly vulnerable to adverse impacts from deep-sea bottom fishing, specifically deep-sea bottom trawling.
• The document cites the UN’s First World Ocean Assessment to argue that deep-water trawling has caused severe, widespread, and long-term destruction of fragile benthic habitats globally.

APA

Gianni, M. (2021). Crucial upcoming opportunity for the EU to deliver sound protection for seamounts, other Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems and deep-sea biodiversity in EU waters. ClientEarth. https://www.clientearth.org/media/irihnnj1/20210921_ngo-letter-on-protecting-deep-sea-vulnerable-marine-ecosystems.pdf

Chicago

Gianni, Matthew. Crucial upcoming opportunity for the EU to deliver sound protection for seamounts, other Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems and deep-sea biodiversity in EU waters. ClientEarth, 2021. https://www.clientearth.org/media/irihnnj1/20210921_ngo-letter-on-protecting-deep-sea-vulnerable-marine-ecosystems.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Gianni |first1=Matthew |title=Crucial upcoming opportunity for the EU to deliver sound protection for seamounts, other Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems and deep-sea biodiversity in EU waters |publisher=ClientEarth |date=21 September 2021 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/irihnnj1/20210921_ngo-letter-on-protecting-deep-sea-vulnerable-marine-ecosystems.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{gianni2021crucial, author = {Gianni, Matthew}, title = {{Crucial upcoming opportunity for the EU to deliver sound protection for seamounts, other Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems and deep-sea biodiversity in EU waters}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2021}, month = sep, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/irihnnj1/20210921_ngo-letter-on-protecting-deep-sea-vulnerable-marine-ecosystems.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }