European Parliament Committee on Fisheries, Public Hearing, 4 December 2014
Universidade dos Açores, DOP, Portugal
Telmo MoratoUniversidade dos Açores, DOP, Portugal
Photo credits: Seahma, Deepfun, Ifremer-MoMARSAT, EMEPC, ImagDOP, UAz
• To describe the main , and related
in the Azores
• Progress towards implementing the
• Ecosystem Based Management
• Marine Spatial Planning
EBM in the Azores – Background
Credits: Ricardo Medeiros, DOP
Average depth of the Azores is .
Existing EEZ 1,000,000 km2
>200 seamounts, island slopes, oceanic ridges
EBM in the Azores – NE Atlantic
Fisheries around theAzores
Fisheries: main fishing gears
Bottom LL & handline Pelagic longline Pole-and-line
Small pelagics Drifting deep-water LL
Fisheries: Overall catch
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
LL a
nd H
L
Pol
e-an
d-lin
e
Sm
all p
el.
Dee
p-w
ater
LL
Pel
agic
LL
Cat
ch in
tonn
es
Fishing Gears
02,0004,0006,0008,000
10,00012,00014,00016,00018,00020,000
LL a
nd H
L
Pol
e-an
d-lin
e
Sm
all p
el.
Dee
p-w
ater
LL
Pel
agic
LL
Land
ed V
alue
(100
0€)
Fishing Gears
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
LL a
nd H
L
Pol
e-an
d-lin
e
Sm
all p
el.
Dee
p-w
ater
LL
Pel
agic
LL
Num
ber o
f fis
herm
en
Fishing Gears
Fisheries: Azores, 2010
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
Pag
ellu
s bo
gara
veo
Con
ger c
onge
rLo
ligo
forb
esi
Pol
yprio
n am
eric
anus
Hel
icol
enus
dac
tylo
pter
usB
eryx
spp
.S
paris
oma
cret
ense
Phy
cis
phyc
isP
riona
ce g
lauc
aX
iphi
as g
ladi
usS
com
ber c
olia
sTr
achu
rus
pict
urat
usA
phan
opus
car
boK
atsu
won
us p
elam
isTh
unnu
s ob
esus
Cat
ch in
tonn
es
Main spp
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
Pag
ellu
s bo
gara
veo
Con
ger c
onge
rLo
ligo
forb
esi
Pol
yprio
n am
eric
anus
Hel
icol
enus
dac
tylo
pter
usB
eryx
spp
.S
paris
oma
cret
ense
Phy
cis
phyc
isP
riona
ce g
lauc
aX
iphi
as g
ladi
usS
com
ber c
olia
sTr
achu
rus
pict
urat
usA
phan
opus
car
boK
atsu
won
us p
elam
isTh
unnu
s ob
esus
Cat
ch in
tonn
es
Main spp
Stock status
• Some declining trends in demersal fish and large pelagic species• Increasing trends in small pelagics
? ? ? ? ==
Fisheries: Azores, 2010
Environmental issues inthe Azores
• Impact on VME• Deep water sharks by-catch in deeper sets
• No cetaceans by catch was reported
Environmental issues : bycatch of sensitive species
• Large unreported catch of pelagic sharks• Reported catch of blue sharks is 73t while
about 1,600t is unreported or not linked tothe Azores fishing area
• Turtles mortality around 19t per year
Environmental issues : bycatch of sensitive species
Towards ecosystem basedmanagement
The Azores ecosystem as described by 45 functional groupsPlus 11 fishing fleets
EBM in the Azores – Ecosystem Model
Beryx splendens
Biomass
1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
Time
0.0000
0.0005
0.0010
0.0015
0.0020
0.0025
0.0030
0.0035
0.0040
(t/km
²)
Consumption/biomass
1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
Time
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
(/yea
r)
Predation mortality
1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
Time
0.00
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.25
0.30
0.35
(/yea
r)
P/B, predation.mort., fishing.mort.
1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
Time
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7(/y
ear)
Feeding time
1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
Time
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1.0Prey (%)
1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
Time
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Pre
y(%
)
Catch
1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
Time
0
100
200
300
400
500
(t/km
²/yea
r)(1
0^-6
)
Production / consumption
1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
Time
0.00
0.02
0.04
0.06
0.08
0.10
0.12F (fishing mortality)
1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
Time
0.00
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.25
0.30
(/yea
r)
Beryx splendensShallow water L
Biomass
1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
Time
0.000
0.001
0.002
0.003
0.004
0.005(t/
km²)
Consumption/biomass
1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
Time
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
(/yea
r)
Predation mortality
1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
Time
0.00
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.25
(/yea
r)
P/B, predation.mort., fishing.mort.
1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
Time
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
(/yea
r)
Feeding time
1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
Time
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1.0Prey (%)
1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
Time
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Pre
y(%
)
Catch
1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
Time
0.0000
0.0002
0.0004
0.0006
0.0008
0.0010
0.0012
(t/km
²/yea
r)
Production / consumption
1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
Time
0.00
0.01
0.02
0.03
0.04
0.05
0.06
0.07
0.08
0.09
0.10
0.11F (fishing mortality)
1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
Time
0.00
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.25
0.30
0.35
0.40
(/yea
r)
Shallow water L
EBM in the Azores – Ecosystem Model
Stock recovery of blackspot seabream in Condor Seamount
EBM in the Azores – Ecosystem Model
Progress towards Marine SpatialPlanning
Funded by: DRCT project 2020 & MIDAS Grant Agreement 603418
Funded by: DRCT project 2020 & MIDAS Grant Agreement 603418
File Geodatabase (Rasters datasets)Personal Geodatabase (Shapefiles datasets)
GIS Dataset’s inventory
2. Biodiversity1. Geomorphology 4. Ocean Environmental Variables
5. Human uses 6. Infraestructures
3. Legal issues
7. Socio-Economics
MSFD in the Azores – Go spatial
Geomorphic featuresBathymetry
1 - Geomorphology
Beryx decadactylus
Species richness CWCSpecies richness fish
2- BiodiversityPagrus pagrus
3 – Legal issues
Bottom Longline Fishing
Pelagic Longline Fishing
Nautilus exploration areas
Tuna fishing
5- Human activities
Shipping
Population
Submarine cables
Radioactive waste
5- Human activities
Progress towards EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive
• Develop innovative research with appropriated funding
aiming at informing policy decision
• Maintaining or improve the
alongside of marine environment,
for the benefit of current and future generations (blue
growth)
MSFD in the Azores
ThanksAZORES TEAM