The Sea of the Azores

Filipe Mora Porteiro

Regional Director of Marine Affairs

Government of the Azores

Remoteness

Geography • Archipelago of 9 islands clustered in three groups • Spread over 600 km • Population ~250.000

Geography

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Geology - Azores Triple Junction

• Triple junction: American, Eurasian and African tectonic plates • Oldest island : 8-10 My; Youngest island: 250 000 y

Geomorphology of the Azores plateau

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North Atlantic Circulation

Oceanography: Productivity

Satellite imagery (year average)

Oligotrophic oceanic waters Localised enrichment by upwelling (seamounts, island).

Biogeography: Central North-East Atlantic

The most oceanic, isolated and young among other Macaronesia archipelagos (AZ, MAD, CAN).

An Atlantic Crossroad

Coastal and open ocean biological assemblages related to Macaronesia Different for other depths and biologic groups

Canaries

Azores

Madeira

G. Meteor

Gorringe

Cabo-Verde

Marine biodiversity

• Impoverished comparing to surrounding areas; • Low numbers of coastal species; • Certain level of genetic isolation; • Certain groups particularly diverse; mainly deep-sea.

1883 marine species belonging to 16 groups are listed. Except for fishes (543 sp.), birds and marine mammals, all the

other are coastal (most diverse groups: mollusks [353 sp.]; algae [327 sp.]; arthropods [291 sp.].

Portal da Biodiversidade dos Açores; www.azoresbioportal.angra.uac.pt/

Portuguese Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

~1 million km2

319.500 km2

411.000 km2

European Union: 3.000.000 km2

Area: 957 292 Km2 (55% Portugal EEZ; 16.3% EU EEZ) Average depth: ~3000m

Bottoms < 600 m: 7 715 Km2 (0.8%) Bottoms between 600 - 1500 m: 64 730 Km2 (6.8%)

Total fishable bottoms (to 1500m): 72.000 km2 (7.6%).

Depth <600m Depth 600m-1500m

EEZ Azores sub-area

Small territory, a huge SEA (land/sea=410)

Extension of Portuguese Continental Platform Proposal submitted to UN (under UNCLOS)

Valuing the Azores Sea increasing its usefulness, keeping its magnificence and ensuring their

environmental sustainability

The DRAM mission

• Marine spatial planning (MSF) based on robust scientific criteria;

• Recover and promote the environmental quality of the sea

• New opportunities for the blue growth / economy;

• Promote active informed citizenship.

Sustainable development

Strategy

Best available

knowledge Planning Results Action

Improvements

for better sustainable development

Opportunities

Coastal habitats

Sheltered bays; cliffs; coastal lagoons

Tide pools

Submerged or partially caves

Rocky reefs

Sandy beaches and bottoms

Volcanic islets

Madalena, Pico

Vila Franca do Campo, S. Miguel

Topo islet, S. Jorge Carapacho, Graciosa

Formigas Islets & Dollabarat reef Marine Protected Area

BANCO D. JOÃO DE CASTRO

Shallow-water hydrothermal vents

DOM JOÃO DE CASTRO BANK

Sheltered bays Mid-passage reefs

Exposed coasts

Caves

Strong currents

Sandy areas

Various rocky habitats

Depth range: 0-200m

Volcanic islets

Faial-Pico Channel High diversity of habitats and species

Black coral Worms

Mollusks Jellies and anemones

Crustaceans Equinoderms

http://www.zoologie.sbg.ac.at/Patzner/gobiidae.htm

Sea birds (roseate and common terns; shearwaters) that breed in the Azores (mainly in islets and remote cliffs).

The blue surface waters

Physeter macrocephalus sperm whale cachalote

David Shale / MAR-ECO

Diving to the deep

High diverse fauna. Small forms. Often with bioluminescence. Highly adapted to the environment, especilally light.

David Shale / MAR-ECO

David Shale / MAR-ECO

David Shale / MAR-ECO

MAR-ECO

The deep seaflor habitats

Azores Deep-Sea bottom Environments

Island shelves (to 180m)

Island slopes

Shallow seamount summits (45-130m)

Seamount slopes

Deep-sea hydro- thermal vents Abyssal plains

Mid-depth seamount summits

Deep seamount summits

Geomorphology of the Capelo peninsula (Faial island)

Island shelves and slopes

F. Tempera © ImagDOP

Azores seamount catalogue

• Density (total): 3.3 peaks /1000 km2

• Large (h>1000m): 63 • Between 200 ≤ h ≤1000m: 398 • Area covered: ~37% of Azores EEZ

Topographic parameters: depth; elevation

Morato, T., M. Machete, A. Kitchingman, F. Tempera, S. Lai, G. Menezes, R.S. Santos & T.J. Pitcher. 2008. Abundance and distribution of seamounts in the Azores. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 357: 17-21

• Aggregations in the water column above the bottom.

• Supported by the enhanced flux of prey organisms

L. Gallagher - ImagDOP

Seamount aggregating fish

Seamount visitor species

• Some sharks and tunas; Sea turtle; Seabirds; Some cetacean

ImagDOP

Spatial Analysis: base on telemetry data and POPA data

longer-lived species; slow growth; late maturation; low natural mortality

Hoplostethus atlanticus Collett, 1889

Experimental fishery for orange roughy in the Azores seamounts

Fishing deeper means fishing for increasingly longer-lived species Intrinsic vulnerability increases with depth

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Cold Water Corals

Coral gardens and coral reefs On island and seamounts bottoms

Ecological importance: Habitat builders and deep-sea

biodiversity hot spots for invertebrates and fishes

http://www.eol.org/pages/200056

http://www.eol.org/pages/200056

Historical and new data revealed a total of 161 coral species so far in the Azores.

High regional biodiversity

Mapping: where they occur?

Catalogue of Cold Water Corals communities (to 3000m): ca. 20 types of coral gardens + 2 types of reefs

Climate change / Mining / Cables / Litter / Scientific activities

Threats to corals and sponges

Fishing: trawls, lines and traps by-catch

Habitat destruction

L. Gallagher - ImagDOP

Condor temporary fishing closure

Hydrothermal fields Azores Triple Junction

Deep-sea hydrothermal vents

Mapping hydrothermal vent fields

Methane and sulfide allow maintaining live mussels Bathymodiolus azoricus and their symbiotic bacteria during several months.

Pressurized chambers (IPOCAMP) and chemical regulation systems (SYRENE)

10º

Rank of the University of the Azores on deep sea hydrothermal vent research

(no. of papers 2006-2010)

Deep sea ecosystems: 17º

MoMAR: Monitoring Mid-Atlantic-Ridge

Biotechnology (extremozymes, detoxication, ADN repair mechanisms…);

Exploration of mineral deposits

Better understanding of the genesis of ore deposits on land

Windows on the evolution of life

Attract widespread public interest

Hydrothermal ecosystems: Major focus of

Marine Science and Technology efforts

Blue Growth

David Shale / MAR-ECO

Uses of the sea: fisheries

Azores hand-line and long-line bottom fisheries at islands and seamounts

Ban of deep water trawling in polygons within the Azorean EEZ sub-area (as well as in Madeira and Canary Islands) 57% of the Azores seamounts and significant elevations fall in the scope of these regulation

European Commission Council Regulation No. 1568/2005

Life bait Tuna Fishery

The top quality of the Azores fish

• Total caught (2012): 8,8% total Portugal; 13,4% total values

• Total: 13,266 ton; 37,613,000 €

Managed by European (CFP), national and regional legislation

quotas; fishing effort; gear specifications; minimum size; spatial regulations;

seasonal closures;

Recreational fishing

Tourism and leisure activities Whale Watching; SCUBA diving; underwater photo; nautical sports; etc.

Whale Watching

WHALE WATCHING – DIRECT USE VALUE

Total gross revenue 2010 1.451.450€ (Pico& Faial)

78768€

27648€

1584€

5184€

2016€

17280€

11520€

3799€

4899€

1150€

2061€

3626€

36343€ Canal

61424€ Monte Guia

16199€

9457€

12327€ Pico west coast

6480€ Pico aroundisland

880.000€

93.280€

233.200€

209.880€

1.650€

33.440€

Azorean Whale Watching Code of Conduct

Big Game Fishing

BIG GAME FISHING – DIRECT USE VALUE

Total gross revenue 2010 144000€ (Pico& Faial)

78768€

27648€

1584€

5184€

2016€

17280€

11520€

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Voluntary code of conduct Partners: Enterprises; Universidade dos Açores; DRT; DRAM

78768€

27648€

1584€

5184€

2016€

17280€

11520€

3799€

4899€

1150€

2061€

3626€

36343€ Canal

61424€ Monte Guia

16199€

9457€

12327€ Pico west coast

6480€ Pico aroundisland

Increased + 600% between 2010-2013

Shark diving

UW Archeology

Sand exploitation

Regulated

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Deep Sea Mining

Bens a proteger

Nautilus technology

Biotechnology: Searching for active products for phamarcological and biochemistry industries

Bacillus - lectin

Hydrothermal fauna; deep-water corals and sponges; algae

• 3 Biosphere reserves – UNESCO;

• 2 marine Ramsar areas;

• 40 EU - Natura 2000 sites;

• 12 OSPAR MPA;

• 52 MPA

Comprehensive network of Marine Protected Areas (MPA)

Marine Park of the Azores

Thank you for your attention

Acknowledgements:

• DRAM Team

• DOP- Uaç team