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We reflect on the innovation process that led to the development of the pulse trawl that was successfully trialed at a commercial scale, but eventually ended with the European Parliament passing legislation to ban its use. The ban was imposed despite published and emerging evidence that suggested that the environmental performance and catch efficiency of the pulse trawl was superior to the conventional beam trawl design. We used a stakeholder questionnaire to understand which factors undermined wider acceptance of the pulse trawl. The main factors where a lack of involvement of certain key stakeholders earlier in the process that would have ensured better co-development of innovation and a shared vision of the environmental or governance questions that needed to be addressed. Although the stakeholder process itself was seen to be positive, it was implemented too late in the innovation process, as was the implementation of an independent peer review process. We conclude by identifying a pathway for future fishing gear innovation processes that integrate the lessons learnt from the pulse trawl innovation process.

Background and objectives The environmental effects of static gear fishing include habitat-level effects such as permanent changes to the physical environment and the structure of the benthic and epibenthic communities. Ecosystems subjected to prolonged exposure to pressure from static gear may undergo permanent changes and may never regain their prior ‘unfished’ state even if the fishing pressure is removed entirely. These long-term changes to physical structure of benthic habitats have implications for benthic biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Despite this, the understanding of habitat and static fishing gear interactions is limited- with most studies focusing on the impact of mobile fishing gear. The rise of ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM), where managers and decision-makers manage target species within their environmental context while protecting essential ecosystem services and components, has led to an increased demand for ecosystem-level reference points. A systematic review could provide clarification on the short and long-term impacts of commercial static gear fishing on benthic community diversity. Methods This review will examine primary studies on the relationship between static fishing gear, intensity, and benthic biodiversity to answer the primary question ‘How do different types of static fishing gear affect benthic species richness and abundance?’. A structured search will be conducted in English. The search terms used to find relevant data to answer the research question were chosen specifically for this review and were generated using the R package litsearchr. Captured articles will be screened against pre-defined eligibility criteria. The internal and external validity of remaining studies will be classified using a pre-defined framework. Studies meeting validity will be used for data extraction. Data to be extracted includes data on study design, intervention, study results, habitat and geographical context. Outcome data (such as sample sizes, means and measures of variation such as confidence intervals, standard deviations, and standard errors) will also be extracted. Information on effect modifiers will also be collected where available as well as metadata on study methodologies and general article identifiers. Data will be used for both narrative and quantitative synthesis techniques.

The sea urchin, Diadema setosum, is a poisonous species that originates in the Indo-Pacific and the Red Sea. Although this species has been recorded in several areas in the Mediterranean Sea, its habitat selection, density, distribution and ecological impacts have not been comprehensively documented to date. This study combined the diving observations (n = 53 sites) and local ecological knowledge (LEK) of SCUBA divers (n = 100) to provide information on the distribution and density of this invasive sea urchin on the Aegean and Levantine coasts of Turkey between September and October 2020. The results indicated that D. setosum was more prevalent along the southern coast of Turkey compared with the western coast, where it is colder. The highest densities of D. setosum were observed in rocky habitats at a depth range of 0-5 m. Moreover, the densities increased with increasing bottom temperatures (up to 150 ind./100 m(2)). Recent reports from the Levantine and south Aegean coasts highlighted that the densities of D. setosum increased dramatically during the past year. The results of the present study suggested that D. setosum provides shelter for a total of four fish species, including Chromis chromis, Gobius sp., Cheilodipterus novemstriatus and Thalassoma pavo. This species of urchin poses a threat due to its potential grazing and bioerosion effects in the Mediterranean. Thus, future studies should focus on the feeding ecology of D. setosum and the competition with native species that share the same habitat to obtain an improved understanding of the ecological impacts of this invasive species. Although the present study provides the first comprehensive dataset on the density and distribution of this invasive sea urchin for Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean region, we suggest that its population should be monitored for long periods using direct observations, LEK and citizen science.

Participatory decision tools enable stakeholders to reconcile conflicting natural resources management objectives. Fisheries targeting highly productive species can have profound impacts on co-occurring bycatch species with low fecundity and other life history traits that make them vulnerable to anthropogenic sources of mortality. This study developed a decision tool for integrated bycatch management for data-limited to data-rich fisheries, improving upon current piecemeal approaches. First, through a systematic literature review, participants compile a comprehensive database of methods to mitigate the catch and fishing mortality of threatened bycatch species. These mitigation methods are then categorized into tiers of a sequential mitigation hierarchy, where interventions that avoid capture are considered before those that minimize catchability, followed by methods that minimize fishing mortality, before approaches that offset residual impacts. The methods are also assembled within an evidence hierarchy, where findings from meta-analytic modelling studies are more robust and generalizable than from individual studies. The decision tool enables stakeholders to evaluate alternative bycatch management strategies’ efficacy at meeting specific and measurable objectives for mitigating the catch and mortality of bycatch and for costs from multispecies conflicts, economic viability, practicality and safety, while accounting for the fishery-specific feasibility of compliance monitoring of alternative bycatch management measures. Ongoing adaptation of the bycatch management framework addresses findings from performance assessments, updated evidence, new mitigation methods and changes to governance systems. The proposed decision tool therefore enables stakeholders to develop bycatch management frameworks that provide precautionary protection for the most vulnerable populations with acceptable tradeoffs.

Sustainably managed wild fisheries support food and nutritional security, livelihoods, and cultures (1). Harmful fisheries subsidies—government payments that incentivize overcapacity and lead to overfishing—undermine these benefits yet are increasing globally (2). World Trade Organization (WTO) members have a unique opportunity at their ministerial meeting in November to reach an agreement that eliminates harmful subsidies (3). We—a group of scientists spanning 46 countries and 6 continents—urge the WTO to make this commitment...

Bottom trawl fishing is a controversial activity. It yields about a quarter of the world's wild seafood, but also has impacts on the marine environment. Recent advances have quantified and improved understanding of large‐scale impacts of trawling on the seabed. However, such information needs to be coupled with distributions of benthic invertebrates (benthos) to assess whether these populations are being sustained under current trawling regimes. This study collated data from 13 diverse regions of the globe spanning four continents. Within each region, we combined trawl intensity distributions and predicted abundance distributions of benthos groups with impact and recovery parameters for taxonomic classes in a risk assessment model to estimate benthos status. The exposure of 220 predicted benthos‐group distributions to trawling intensity (as swept area ratio) ranged between 0% and 210% (mean = 37%) of abundance. However, benthos status, an indicator of the depleted abundance under chronic trawling pressure as a proportion of untrawled state, ranged between 0.86 and 1 (mean = 0.99), with 78% of benthos groups > 0.95. Mean benthos status was lowest in regions of Europe and Africa, and for taxonomic classes Bivalvia and Gastropoda. Our results demonstrate that while spatial overlap studies can help infer general patterns of potential risk, actual risks cannot be evaluated without using an assessment model that incorporates trawl impact and recovery metrics. These quantitative outputs are essential for sustainability assessments, and together with reference points and thresholds, can help managers ensure use of the marine environment is sustainable under the ecosystem approach to management., T. Mazor was supported during her research by a CSIRO Postdoctoral Fellowship and CSIRO Ruby Payne‐Scott Award.

Bottom trawl fisheries are the most widespread source of anthropogenic physical disturbance to seabed habitats. Development of fisheries-, conservation- and ecosystem-based management strategies requires the selection of indicators of the impact of bottom trawling on the state of benthic biota. Many indicators have been proposed, but no rigorous test of a range of candidate indicators against nine commonly agreed criteria (concreteness, theoretical basis, public awareness, cost, measurement, historical data, sensitivity, responsiveness, specificity) has been performed. Here, we collated data from 41 studies that compared the benthic biota in trawled areas with those in control locations (that were either not trawled or trawled infrequently), examining seven potential indicators (numbers and biomass for individual taxa and whole communities, evenness, Shannon–Wiener diversity and species richness) to assess their performance against the set of nine criteria. The effects of trawling were stronger on whole-community numbers and biomass than for individual taxa. Species richness was also negatively affected by trawling but other measures of diversity were not. Community numbers and biomass met all criteria, taxa numbers and biomass and species richness satisfied most criteria, but evenness and Shannon–Wiener diversity did not respond to trawling and only met few criteria, and hence are not suitable state indicators of the effect of bottom trawling. Synthesis and applications. An evaluation of each candidate indicator against a commonly agreed suite of desirable properties coupled with the outputs of our meta-analysis showed that whole-community numbers of individuals and biomass are the most suitable indicators of bottom trawling impacts as they performed well on all criteria. Strengths of these indicators are that they respond strongly to trawling, relate directly to ecosystem functioning and are straightforward to measure. Evenness and Shannon–Wiener diversity are not responsive to trawling and unsuitable for the monitoring and assessment of bottom trawl impacts. Fil: Hiddink, Jan Geert. Bangor University; Reino Unido Fil: Kaiser, Michel J.. Bangor University; Fil: Sciberras, Marija. Bangor University; Fil: McConnaughey, Robert A.. National Marine Fisheries Service; Estados Unidos Fil: Mazor, Tessa. The University of Queensland; Australia. Csiro Oceans And Atmosphere.; Australia Fil: Hilborn, Ray. University of Washington; Estados Unidos Fil: Collie, Jeremy S.. University of Rhode Island; Estados Unidos Fil: Pitcher, Clifford Roland. Csiro Oceans And Atmosphere.; Australia Fil: Parma, Ana María. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina Fil: Suuronen, Petri. Natural Resources Institute Finland; Finlandia Fil: Rijnsdorp, Adriaan D.. University of Agriculture Wageningen; Países Bajos Fil: Jennings, Simon. University of East Anglia; Reino Unido. International Council for the Exploration of the Sea; Dinamarca. Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science. Lowestoft Laboratory; Reino Unido

Bottom trawling accounts for almost one quarter of global fish landings but may also have significant and unwanted impacts on seabed habitats and biota. Management measures and voluntary industry actions can reduce these impacts, helping to meet sustainability objectives for fisheries, conservation and environmental management. These include changes in gear design and operation of trawls, spatial controls, impact quotas and effort controls. We review nine different measures and actions and use published studies and a simple conceptual model to evaluate and compare their performance. The risks and benefits of these management measures depend on the extent to which the fishery is already achieving management objectives for target stocks and the characteristics of the management system that is already in place. We offer guidance on identifying best practices for trawl-fisheries management and show that best practices and their likelihood of reducing trawling impacts depend on local, national and regional management objectives and priorities, societal values and resources for implementation. There is no universal best practice, and multiple management measures and industry actions are required to meet sustainability objectives and improve trade-offs between food production and environmental protection. Fil: McConnaughey, Robert A.. National Marine Fisheries Service; Estados Unidos Fil: Hiddink, Jan G.. Bangor University; Reino Unido Fil: Jennings, Simon. University of East Anglia; Reino Unido. International Council for the Exploration of the Sea; Dinamarca Fil: Pitcher, Clifford Roland. Csiro Oceans And Atmosphere; Australia Fil: Kaiser, Michel J.. Heriot-watt University; Reino Unido Fil: Suuronen, Petri. Natural Resources Institute Finland ; Finlandia Fil: Sciberras, Marija. Bangor University; Reino Unido Fil: Rijnsdorp, Adriaan D.. Wageningen Marine Research; Países Bajos Fil: Collie, Jeremy S.. University Of Rhode Island ; Estados Unidos Fil: Mazor, Tessa. University of Queensland; Australia Fil: Amoroso, Ricardo Oscar. University Of Washington, Seattle; Estados Unidos Fil: Parma, Ana María. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos; Argentina Fil: Hilborn, Ray. University Of Washington, Seattle; Estados Unidos

Understanding the distribution of fishing activity is fundamental to quantifying its impact on the seabed. Vessel monitoring system (VMS) data provides a means to understand the footprint (extent and intensity) of fishing activity. Automatic Identification System (AIS) data could offer a higher resolution alternative to VMS data, but differences in coverage and interpretation need to be better understood. VMS and AIS data were compared for individual scallop fishing vessels. There were substantial gaps in the AIS data coverage; AIS data only captured 26% of the time spent fishing compared to VMS data. The amount of missing data varied substantially between vessels (45–99% of each individuals' AIS data were missing). A cubic Hermite spline interpolation of VMS data provided the greatest similarity between VMS and AIS data. But the scale at which the data were analysed (size of the grid cells) had the greatest influence on estimates of fishing footprints. The present gaps in coverage of AIS may make it inappropriate for absolute estimates of fishing activity. VMS already provides a means of collecting more complete fishing position data, shielded from public view. Hence, there is an incentive to increase the VMS poll frequency to calculate more accurate fishing footprints.

Bottom-contact fishing gears are globally the most widespread anthropogenic sources of direct disturbance to the seabed and associated biota. Managing these fishing disturbances requires quantification of gear impacts on biota and the rate of recovery following disturbance. We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis of 122 experiments on the effects-of-bottom fishing to quantify the removal of benthos in the path of the fishing gear and to estimate rates of recovery following disturbance. A gear pass reduced benthic invertebrate abundance by 26% and species richness by 19%. The effect was strongly gear-specific, with gears that penetrate deeper into the sediment having a significantly larger impact than those that penetrate less. Sediment composition (% mud and presence of biogenic habitat) and the history of fishing disturbance prior to an experimental fishing event were also important predictors of depletion, with communities in areas that were not previously fished, predominantly muddy or biogenic habitats being more strongly affected by fishing. Sessile and low mobility biota with longer life-spans such as sponges, soft corals and bivalves took much longer to recover after fishing (>3 year) than mobile biota with shorter life-spans such as polychaetes and malacostracans (

Evidence reviews are a key mechanism for incorporating extensive, complex and specialised evidence into policy and practice, and in guiding future research. However, evidence reviews vary in scope and methodological rigour, creating several risks for decision-makers: decisions may be informed by less reliable reviews; apparently conflicting interpretations of evidence may obfuscate decisions; and low quality reviews may create the perception that a topic has been adequately addressed, deterring new syntheses (cryptic evidence gaps). We present a new approach, evidence review mapping, designed to produce a visual representation and critical assessment of the review landscape for a particular environmental topic or question. By systematically selecting and describing the scope and rigour of each review, this helps guide non-specialists to the most relevant and methodologically reliable reviews. The map can also direct future research through the identification of evidence gaps (whether cryptic or otherwise) and redundancy (multiple reviews on similar questions). We consider evidence review mapping a complementary approach to systematic reviews and systematic maps of primary literature and an important tool for facilitating evidence-based decision-making and research efficiency.

One quarter of marine fish production is caught with bottom trawls and dredges on continental shelves around the world. Towed bottom-fishing gears typically kill 20-50 per cent of the benthic invertebrates in their path, depending on gear type, substrate and vulnerability of particular taxa. Particularly vulnerable are epifaunal species, which stabilize the sediment and provide habitat for benthic invertebrates. To identify the habitats, fisheries or target species most likely to be affected, we review evidence of the indirect effects of bottom fishing on fish production. Recent studies have found differences in the diets of certain species in relation to bottom fishing intensity, thereby linking demersal fish to their benthic habitats at spatial scales of ~10 km. Bottom fishing affects diet composition and prey quality rather than the amount of prey consumed; scavenging of discarded by-catch makes only a small contribution to yearly food intake. Flatfish may benefit from light trawling levels on sandy seabeds, while higher-intensity trawling on more vulnerable habitats has a negative effect. Models suggest that reduction in the carrying capacity of habitats by bottom fishing could lead to lower equilibrium yield and a lower level of fishing mortality to obtain maximum yield. Trawling effort is patchily distributed - small fractions of fishing grounds are heavily fished, while large fractions are lightly fished or unfished. This patchiness, coupled with the foraging behaviour of demersal fish, may mitigate the indirect effects of bottom fishing on fish productivity. Current research attempts to scale up these localized effects to the population level.

Bottom trawling is the most widespread human activity directly affecting seabed habitats. Assessment and effective management of the effects of bottom trawling at the scale of fisheries requires an understanding of differences in sensitivity of biota to trawling. Responses to disturbance are expected to depend on the intrinsic rate of increase in populations (r), which is expected to be linearly related to the reciprocal of longevity. We examine the relationship between the longevity of benthic invertebrates and their response to bottom trawling; both in terms of the immediate mortality following a trawl pass and their subsequent rates of recovery. We collate all available data from experimental and comparative trawling studies, and test how longevity influences these aspects of sensitivity. The shortest lived organisms (1 year decreased by ~9% immediately following a trawl pass. The effect of bottom trawling in comparative studies increased with longevity, with a 2–3× larger effect on biota living >10 years than on biota living 1–3 years. We attribute this difference to the slower recovery rates of the long-lived biota. The observed relationship between the intrinsic rate of population increase (r, our metric of recovery rate) and the reciprocal of longevity matches theoretical expectation and predicts that the sensitivity of habitats to bottom trawling is higher in habitats with higher proportions of long-lived organisms. Synthesis and applications. Where the longevity of a species or the longevity distribution of a community is known or can be inferred, our estimates of depletion and intrinsic rate of increase can be combined with high-resolution maps of trawling intensity to assess trawling impacts at the scale of the fishery or other defined unit of assessment. Our estimates of r may also be used to estimate recovery times following other forms of seabed disturbance. Fil: Hiddink, Jan Geert. Fil: Jennings, Simon. Fil: Sciberras, Marija. Fil: Bolam, Stefan G.. Fil: Cambiè, Giulia. Fil: McConnaughey, Robert A.. Fil: Mazor, Tessa. Fil: Hilborn, Ray. Fil: Collie, Jeremy S.. Fil: Pitcher, Clifford Roland. Fil: Parma, Ana María. Fil: Suuronen, Petri. Fil: Kaiser, Michel J.. Fil: Rijnsdorp, Adriaan D..

Physical disturbance by trawling can have both negative and positive effects on populations of scavenging benthic organisms. In the present study the impact of fishing activity on feeding behaviour of the two Astropectinids, Astropecten bispinosus and A. irregularis , was assessed based on stomach contents analysis. The study was carried out along trawled seabed highlighting the positive response of the two facultative scavengers to carrion generated by trawl disturbance. Furthermore, there was greater food specialization in areas that were more heavily exploited by trawling. This specialisation could be linked to the availability of certain prey that results from the passage of fishing gears across the seabed. Interestingly, differences between the two species analysed have been highlighted in term of population dynamic, feeding rate, diet composition and diet diversity, testifying their capacity to coexist in the same fishing grounds. Normal 0 false false false EL X-NONE X-NONE

Bottom trawling can change food availability for benthivorous demersal species by (i) changing benthic prey composition through physical seabed impacts and (ii) by removing overall benthic consumer biomass increasing the net availability of benthic prey for remaining individuals. Thus trawling may both negatively and positively influence the quantity and quality of food available. Using δ13C and δ15N we investigated potential diet changes of three commercially exploited species across trawling gradients in the Kattegat (plaice, dab and Norway lobster (Nephrops)) and the Irish Sea (Nephrops). In the Kattegat, trawling affected primarily the biomass of benthic consumers, lowering competition. Nephrops showed significant positive relationships for δ13C and a domed relationship for δ15N with trawling. In the Irish Sea, intense trawling had a negative effect on benthic prey. δ13C and δ15N thus showed the inverse relationships to those observed in the Kattegat. Plaice from the Kattegat, showed a significant relationship with trawling intensity for δ13C, but not for δ15N. No relationship was found for dab. Changes of δ13C and δ15N correlated with changes in condition of species. The results show that the removal of demersal competitors and benthos by trawling can change the diets of commercial species, ultimately affecting their body condition, SI

Bottom trawling is the most widespread human activity affecting seabed habitats. Here, we collate all available data for experimental and comparative studies of trawling impacts on whole communities of seabed macroinvertebrates on sedimentary habitats and develop widely applicable methods to estimate depletion and recovery rates of biota after trawling. Depletion of biota and trawl penetration into the seabed are highly correlated. Otter trawls caused the least depletion, removing 6% of biota per pass and penetrating the seabed on average down to 2.4 cm, whereas hydraulic dredges caused the most depletion, removing 41% of biota and penetrating the seabed on average 16.1 cm. Median recovery times posttrawling (from 50 to 95% of unimpacted biomass) ranged between 1.9 and 6.4 y. By accounting for the effects of penetration depth, environmental variation, and uncertainty, the models explained much of the variability of depletion and recovery estimates from single studies. Coupled with large-scale, high-resolution maps of trawling frequency and habitat, our estimates of depletion and recovery rates enable the assessment of trawling impacts on unprecedented spatial scales. Fil: Hiddink, Jan Geert. Bangor University; Reino Unido Fil: Jennings, Simon. Centre for the Environment; Reino Unido. University of East Anglia; Reino Unido Fil: Sciberras, Marija. Bangor University; Reino Unido Fil: Szostek, Claire L.. Bangor University; Reino Unido Fil: Hughes, Kathryn M.. Bangor University; Reino Unido Fil: Ellis, Nick. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization Oceans & Atmosphere; Australia Fil: Rijnsdorp, Adriaan D.. Institute for Marine Resources and Ecosystem Studies; Países Bajos Fil: McConnaughey, Robert A.. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Estados Unidos Fil: Mazor, Tessa. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization Oceans & Atmosphere; Australia Fil: Hilborn, Ray. University of Washington; Estados Unidos Fil: Collie, Jeremy S.. University of Rhode Island; Estados Unidos Fil: Pitcher, C. Roland. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization Oceans & Atmosphere; Australia Fil: Amoroso, Ricardo Oscar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina Fil: Parma, Ana María. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina Fil: Suuronen, Petri. Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations; Italia Fil: Kaiser, Michel J.. Bangor University; Reino Unido

Management and technical approaches that achieve a sustainable level of fish production while at the same time minimizing or limiting the wider ecological effects caused through fishing gear contact with the seabed might be considered to be ‘best practice’. To identify future knowledge-needs that would help to support a transition towards the adoption of best practices for trawling, a prioritization exercise was undertaken with a group of 39 practitioners from the seafood industry and management, and 13 research scientists who have an active research interest in bottom-trawl and dredge fisheries. A list of 108 knowledge-needs related to trawl and dredge fisheries was developed in conjunction with an ‘expert task force’. The long list was further refined through a three stage process of voting and scoring, including discussions of each knowledge-need. The top 25 knowledge-needs are presented, as scored separately by practitioners and scientists. There was considerable consistency in the priorities identified by these two groups. The top priority knowledge-need to improve current understanding on the distribution and extent of different habitat types also reinforced the concomitant need for the provision and access to data on the spatial and temporal distribution of all forms of towed bottom-fishing activities. Many of the other top 25 knowledge-needs concerned the evaluation of different management approaches or implementation of different fishing practices, particularly those that explore trade-offs between effects of bottom trawling on biodiversity and ecosystem services and the benefits of fish production as food. Fil: Kaiser, Michel J.. Bangor University; Reino Unido Fil: Hilborn, Ray. University of Washington; Estados Unidos Fil: Jennings, Simon. Fisheries and Aquaculture Science; Reino Unido Fil: Amaroso, Ricky. University of Washington; Estados Unidos Fil: Andersen, Michael. Danish Fishermen; Dinamarca Fil: Balliet, Kris. Sustainable Fisheries Partnership; Estados Unidos Fil: Barratt, Eric. Sanford Limited; Nueva Zelanda Fil: Bergstad, Odd A. Institute of Marine Research; Noruega Fil: Bishop, Stephen. Independent Fisheries Ltd; Nueva Zelanda Fil: Bostrom, Jodi L. Marine Stewardship Council; Reino Unido Fil: Boyd, Catherine. Clearwater Seafoods; Canadá Fil: Bruce, Eduardo A. Friosur S.A.; Chile Fil: Burden, Merrick. Marine Conservation Alliance; Estados Unidos Fil: Carey, Chris. Independent Fisheries Ltd.; Estados Unidos Fil: Clermont, Jason. New England Aquarium; Estados Unidos Fil: Collie, Jeremy S. University of Rhode Island,; Estados Unidos Fil: Delahunty, Antony. National Federation of Fishermen; Reino Unido Fil: Dixon, Jacqui. Pacific Andes International Holdings Limited; China Fil: Eayrs, Steve. Gulf of Maine Research Institute; Estados Unidos Fil: Edwards, Nigel. Seachill Ltd.; Reino Unido Fil: Fujita, Rod. Environmental Defense Fund; Reino Unido Fil: Gauvin, John. Alaska Seafood Cooperative; Estados Unidos Fil: Gleason, Mary. The Nature Conservancy; Estados Unidos Fil: Harris, Brad. Alaska Pacific University; Estados Unidos Fil: He, Pingguo. University of Massachusetts Dartmouth; Estados Unidos Fil: Hiddink, Jan G. Bangor University; Reino Unido Fil: Hughes, Kathryn M. Bangor University; Reino Unido Fil: Inostroza, Mario. EMDEPES; Chile Fil: Kenny, Andrew. Fisheries and Aquaculture Science; Reino Unido Fil: Kritzer, Jake. Environmental Defense Fund; Estados Unidos Fil: Kuntzsch, Volker. Sanford Limited; Estados Unidos Fil: Lasta, Mario. Diag. Montegrande N° 7078. Mar del Plata; Argentina Fil: Lopez, Ivan. Confederacion Española de Pesca; España Fil: Loveridge, Craig. South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation; Nueva Zelanda Fil: Lynch, Don. Gorton; Estados Unidos Fil: Masters, Jim. Marine Conservation Society; Reino Unido Fil: Mazor, Tessa. CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research; Australia Fil: McConnaughey, Robert A. US National Marine Fisheries Service; Estados Unidos Fil: Moenne, Marcel. Pacificblu; Chile Fil: Francis. Marine Scotland Science; Reino Unido Fil: Nimick, Aileen M. Alaska Pacific University; Estados Unidos Fil: Olsen, Alex. A. Espersen; Dinamarca Fil: Parker, David. Young; Reino Unido Fil: Parma, Ana María. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina Fil: Penney, Christine. Clearwater Seafoods; Canadá Fil: Pierce, David. Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries; Estados Unidos Fil: Pitcher, Roland. CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research; Australia Fil: Pol, Michael. Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries; Estados Unidos Fil: Richardson, Ed. Pollock Conservation Cooperative; Estados Unidos Fil: Rijnsdorp, Adriaan D. Wageningen IMARES; Países Bajos Fil: Rilatt, Simon. A. Espersen; Dinamarca Fil: Rodmell, Dale P. National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations; Reino Unido Fil: Rose, Craig. FishNext Research; Estados Unidos Fil: Sethi, Suresh A. Alaska Pacific University; Estados Unidos Fil: Short, Katherine. F.L.O.W. Collaborative; Nueva Zelanda Fil: Suuronen, Petri. Fisheries and Aquaculture Department; Italia Fil: Taylor, Erin. New England Aquarium; Estados Unidos Fil: Wallace, Scott. The David Suzuki Foundation; Canadá Fil: Webb, Lisa. Gorton's Inc.; Estados Unidos Fil: Wickham, Eric. Unit four –1957 McNicoll Avenue; Canadá Fil: Wilding, Sam R. Monterey Bay Aquarium; Estados Unidos Fil: Wilson, Ashley. Department for Environment; Reino Unido Fil: Winger, Paul. Memorial University Of Newfoundland; Canadá Fil: Sutherland, William J. University of Cambridge; Reino Unido

Background: Mobile bottom fishing, such as trawling and dredging, is the most widespread direct human impact on marine benthic systems. Knowledge of the impacts of different gear types on different habitats, the species most sensitive to impacts and the potential for habitats to recover are often needed to inform implementation of an ecosystem approach to fisheries and strategies for biodiversity conservation. This knowledge helps to identify management options that maximise fisheries yield whilst minimising negative impacts on benthic systems. Methods/design: The methods are designed to identify and collate evidence from experimental studies (e.g. before/after, control/impact) and comparative studi es (spanning a gradient of fishing intensity) to identify changes in state (numbers, biomass, diversity etc.) of be nthic biota (flora and fauna), resulting from a variety of mobile bottom fishing scenarios. Th e primary research question that the outputs will be used to address is: “to what extent does a given intensity of bottom fishing affect the abundance and/or diversity of benthic biota?” Due to the variety of gear and habitat types studied, the primary question will be closely linked with secondary questions. These include: “how does the effect of bottom fishing on various benthic biota metrics (species, faunal type, trait, taxon etc.) vary with (1) gear type and (2) habitat, and (3) gear type-habitat interactions?” and (4) “how might properties of the community and environment affect the resilience (and recovery potential) of a community to bottom fishing?” Fil: Hughes, Kathryn M.. Bangor University; Reino Unido Fil: Kaiser, Michel J.. Bangor University; Reino Unido Fil: Jennings, Simon. Fisheries and Aquaculture Science. Centre for Environment; Reino Unido Fil: McConnaughey, Robert A.. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Estados Unidos Fil: Pitcher, Roland. CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Flagship; Australia Fil: Hilborn, Ray. University of Washington; Estados Unidos Fil: Amoroso, Ricardo Oscar. University of Washington; Estados Unidos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina Fil: Collie, Jeremy. University of Rhode Island; Estados Unidos Fil: Hiddink, Jan Geert. Bangor University; Reino Unido Fil: Parma, Ana Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina Fil: Rijnsdorp, Adriaan. Institute for Marine Resources and Ecosystem Studies; Reino Unido

Bottom trawling has direct impacts on benthic communities. These impacts are mod- ified by the environmental context in which they occur. Communities that occur in habitats sub- jected to low levels of natural disturbance are considered to be the most vulnerable to bottom trawling. The present study examined the impact of otter trawl fisheries on epifaunal assemblages of the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea (Central Mediterranean Sea), across the continental shelf and down to the meso-bathyal plain. Using a long time-series of non-target epifaunal species collected by experimental otter trawl surveys, differences in assemblage structure and composition were detected among areas that experienced different levels of fishing intensity relative to Fishery Exclusion Zones. Areas that experienced the highest levels of trawling had a significantly lower abundance of crinoids and ophiuroids; the former are important structuring fauna. The epifaunal assemblage composition in the areas that had been subjected to the heaviest levels of fishing activity were characterised by a greater number of scavenging species that are resilient to the effects of fishing. Although the heavily trawled areas had higher diversity than the less heavily fished areas, this was associated with the absence of K-selected species such as crinoids and dom- inance by r-selected scavenging biota.

Profit is an important driver of fishers’ behaviour. Thus, identifying fishers’ regulatory preferences in economic terms can assist the creation of more acceptable, workable and sustainable policies. The Adaptive Conjoint Analysis (ACA) method was adapted from its original application as a marketing tool to identify fishers’ most and least preferred regulatory obligations in terms of the impact these obligations have on their income. Significant differences were identified in fishers’ preferences that depended on the regulatory measures fishers operated under at the time of the study (which related to the fishery and the region in which the fishers belonged). All fishers agreed that access to resources, i.e. how much access they have within a certain sea area was most important for their income. However, there were differences in fishers’ preferences with regards to the majority of regulatory measures; inshore fishers preferred restrictions related to the category ‘Days at Sea’ rather than ‘Total Allowable Catches’, and vice versa for offshore fishers. Fishers’ preferences varied most for ‘Enforcement and Compliance’ related obligations with the general trend being that fishers tend to prefer the measure with which they are most accustomed. This paper emphasises the need for additional knowledge at a more localised level on fishers’ regulatory perceptions. Such knowledge will allow regulators to account for fishers’ perceptions and attitudes towards regulatory measures when formulating legislation. Accounting for perceptions and attitudes of the relevant stakeholders will assist the successful implementation of new measures by providing relevant incentives and mitigation measures.

We examined the protection effect of a long-established fisheries protection zone by studying the demersal communities and the biomass size spectra of specific taxonomic groups. The results and the relevant management implications of the community analysis are discussed within the context of the MEDITS trawl survey program, from which the data was derived. The demersal fishery resources on the muddy bottoms of Maltese trawling grounds were found to be stratified in four main depth ranges: 83 to 166 m (outer continental shelf), 140 to 230 m (shelf break), 270 to 440 m (shallow slope), and 466 to 701 m (deep slope). Significant differences were detected between the inside and outside zones of the outer continental shelf. Stations from this stratum inside the protected zone had twice as much biomass as those outside as well as larger individuals of some species (e.g. elasmobranchs). The depth strata identified do not coincide with those sampled in existing trawl survey programmes in the Sicilian Channel, which were set up without reference to demersal assemblage structure and its relation to depth. It is therefore clear that characterisation of the biotic assemblages is important in order to obtain a better sampling representation of each depth-stratum/assemblage type, and this should be considered in the survey design., Examinamos el efecto de protección de una zona de protección pesquera establecida desde hace mucho tiempo mediante el estudio de las comunidades demersales y espectros de biomasa de grupos taxonómicos específicos. Los resultados del análisis de comunidades se discuten en el contexto de las campañas de arrastre MEDITS, que sirvieron para generar los datos, y se señalan las implicaciones para la gestión de recursos pesqueros de nuestros resultados. Los recursos pesqueros demersales de fondos de arrastre fangosos se encuentran estratificados en 4 rangos de profundidad: 83-166 m (plataforma continental externa), 140-230 m (límite entre la plataforma y el talud), 270-440 m (talud superior) y 466-701 (talud medio). El único grupo dentro de la zona de protección que resultó diferente significativamente del estrato equivalente fuera de la zona de protección fue el grupo de la plataforma continental externa. Las estaciones de este estrato dentro de la zona de protección resultaron tener el doble de biomasa que las estaciones equivalentes fuera de la zona de protección, así como individuos de tallas superiores para ciertas especies (e.g. elasmobranquios). Los estratos de profundidad identificados no coinciden con los estratos de muestreo de los programas de campañas de arrastre en el canal de Sicilia, que fueron establecidos sin tener en cuenta la estructura de comunidades y su relación con la profundidad. La caracterización de grupos bióticos es importante para mejorar la representación del muestreo en cada estrato de profundidad y tipo de comunidad y debe tenerse en cuenta para el diseño de los planes de campaña de arrastre demersal.

The perceptions of resource users towards any conservation policy can be a major determinant of its success. While co-management policy can enhance the management of fisheries, to date there have been few reports concerning how engagement in co-management regimes may affect fishers' perceptions. This paper assesses the determinants of fishers' environmental perceptions within a co-management regime in Chile. Group meetings and structured questionnaires showed fishers' environmental perceptions were composed of four domains of concern, termed ‘water pollution’, ‘stock conservation’, ‘conservation/profit trade-offs’ and ‘charismatic species’. Fishers' dependence on diving and/or the length of time fishers had engaged with the policy affected their perceptions of each of these domains. Perceptions of the ‘water pollution’ domain were related to length of time fishers had participated in co-management, probably because fishers gained an increased understanding of the market and its need for unpolluted produce. Attitudes towards ‘conservation/profit trade-offs’ tended to become linked to an increasingly conservation-oriented ethic with increasing time of engagement with the policy. Given that the length of time fishers engaged with co-management differentially affected fishers' perceptions of environmental domains of concern, public officials and funding agencies should be careful not to judge co-management prematurely. It takes time to educate participants and overcome distrust. Through co-management processes in Chile, fishers' environmental awareness increased, and sustainable behaviours may consequently increase in the future.

Prior to joining the European Union, Malta operated a 25nm Exclusive Fishing Zone that was retained as a Fisheries Conservation Zone (FCZ) following EU membership. The present study was conducted in this FCZ as part of the ongoing MEDITS trawl survey programme. Otter trawl samples were collected from muddy bottoms at depths of 100-300m. The catch from each haul was sorted into commercial and non-commercial components, and fauna were identified and counted. Samples for analyses of infauna and sediment characteristics were collected using a 0.0625m² capacity box-corer. Macrofaunal abundance data for the stations were analysed using ordination techniques (nMDS) and relationships between environmental variables and faunal assemblages were explored by superimposing individual variables on the two-dimensional nMDS plots. The analyses clearly separated the commercial species into two distinct groups of assemblages that seemed to be defined principally by depth: those from inshore and south-eastern stations (depth range 100-250m) and those from north-western stations (depth range 250-300m). The non-commercial species showed a similar pattern with assemblages from inshore stations grouping together; however, the offshore stations had a greater variability in non-target species composition, especially for infauna. For the offshore stations, geographical position seemed to be important since stations off the north-western coast of the Maltese islands grouped separately from those off south-eastern Malta.

The rise of food security up international political, societal and academic agendas has led to increasing interest in novel means of improving primary food production and reducing waste. There are however, also many ‘post-farm gate’ activities that are critical to food security, including processing, packaging, distributing, retailing, cooking and consuming. These activities all affect a range of important food security elements, notably availability, affordability and other aspects of access, nutrition and safety. Addressing the challenge of universal food security, in the context of a number of other policy goals (e.g. social, economic and environmental sustainability), is of keen interest to a range of UK stakeholders but requires an up-to-date evidence base and continuous innovation. An exercise was therefore conducted, under the auspices of the UK Global Food Security Programme, to identify priority research questions with a focus on the UK food system (though the outcomes may be broadly applicable to other developed nations). Emphasis was placed on incorporating a wide range of perspectives (‘world views’) from different stakeholder groups: policy, private sector, non-governmental organisations, advocacy groups and academia. A total of 456 individuals submitted 820 questions from which 100 were selected by a process of online voting and a three-stage workshop voting exercise. These 100 final questions were sorted into 10 themes and the ‘top’ question for each theme identified by a further voting exercise. This step also allowed four different stakeholder groups to select the top 7–8 questions from their perspectives. Results of these voting exercises are presented. It is clear from the wide range of questions prioritised in this exercise that the different stakeholder groups identified specific research needs on a range of post-farm gate activities and food security outcomes. Evidence needs related to food affordability, nutrition and food safety (all key elements of food security) featured highly in the exercise. While there were some questions relating to climate impacts on production, other important topics for food security (e.g. trade, transport, preference and cultural needs) were not viewed as strongly by the participants.