Mapping of seabed habitats and impacts of beam trawling and other demersal fisheries for spatial ecosystem-based management of the Jammer Bay (111968)

The aims of this project in the Jammer Bay are to: i), geophysical mapping of the seabed substrates and habitats (full coverage in focus area: 304 km2; along transect lines in the screening area: 5230 km2); and further, for the screening area, to ii), analyze and map the impacts of all individual mobile bottom-contacting gear types on the seabed habitats, as well as their environmental and climate-related impact; iii), analyze and map the status of benthic habitat biodiversity and ecosystem functioning and quantify the causal relations to impacts from beam trawls and other mobile bottom-contacting gears; iv), analyze the fisheries resources and socio-economic effects and value chains of all modes of fisheries operating in the Jammer Bay; and v), assess sustainability and trade-offs between fish distribution, socio-economic values, and fisheries impacts on the environment and state of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) benthic Broad Habitat Types (BHTs).

All analysis and model development will be based on existing data and new sampled data for seabed habitat extent and distribution, fisheries' physical and biological impact on seabed habitats and the ecosystem, and fisheries resources and socio-economic value-chains in the Jammer Bay.

The project tasks are grouped into five work packages: 1), Geophysical mapping of seabed substrates and habitats; 2), The physical impact of fishery on seabed habitats; 3), The biological impact of fishery on seabed habitats; 4), Fisheries resources and socio-economy and 5), Synthesis for ecosystem-based management, dissemination and project management.

The results of the project are expected to inform assessments for planning and regulation by marine fisheries and environmental managers in Denmark and EU. Moreover, the results will contribute widely to individual and cross-disciplinary scientific fields of marine habitat mapping, fisheries impacts on seabed habitats, and trade-offs between socio-economic and environmental values for ecosystem-based management.

The habitat mapping data and results will serve as input for modelling of MSFD benthic BHT according to EUNIS for inclusion in EUSeaMap (EMODnet). Moreover, the collected and collated data and the generated information layers enable the development of a geomorphological model of Jammer Bay, which is essential for assessing the dynamics of the seabed. Further investigations of seabed sediment dynamics and morpho-dynamics are required for assessing loss and disturbance of seafloor integrity, and for sustainable management of seabed structures and functions.

The results of the fisheries, biological and environmental analysis, and model applications from the Jammer Bay can be used individually, and linked to the new MSFD benthic BHT mapping results, thereby in-forming ecosystem-based and trade-off scenarios for use in fisheries and environmental management and spatial planning. Moreover, the new high-resolution results, indicators and ecosystem-based methodologies will be developed further to improve assessments of fisheries impacts on seabed habitats, ecosystems and environmental state, and advice on sustainable fisheries regulation and configuration of spatial closures of different maritime activities in Danish and EU waters.

Funding:
The project is funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) and the Danish Fisheries Agency. 

Research area: Ecosystem based Marine Management
Research area: Fisheries Technology
Research area: Marine Habitats
Research area: Marine Living Resources
Research area: Population Genetics
Research area: Marine Populations and Ecosystem Dynamics
Research area: Fisheries Management