Deep Sea Coral Amendment Moves Forward

First published in Landings, July, 2016

During its April meeting, the New England Fishery Management Council reviewed and adopted the Habitat Committee’s recommendations for updates to previously adopted alternatives in the Deep Sea Coral Amendment.

The Deep Sea Coral Amendment is a measure designed to protect deep sea corals which are found at depths of 50 meters and below, provide shelter for managed fishes and their prey, and are slow growing.

At the April meeting, the Council also adopted the Committee’s problem statement, which serves to articulate goals and objectives for the Council as it continues to move the amendment forward.

The problem statement is as follows:

“The Council is utilizing its discretionary authority to identify and implement measures that reduce, to the extent practicable, impacts of fishing gear on deep sea corals in New England. This amendment contains alternatives that aim to identify and protect concentrations of corals in select areas and restrict the expansion of fishing effort into areas where corals are likely to be present.”

“Deep sea corals are fragile, slow-growing organisms that play an important role in the marine ecosystem and are vulnerable to various types of disturbance of the seafloor. At the same time, the importance and value of commercial fisheries that operate in or near areas of deep sea coral habitat is recognized by the Council. As such, measures in the amendment will be considered in light of their benefit to corals as well as their costs to commercial fisheries.”

The Council approved revised boundaries for analysis including the following twelve canyon zones already under consideration: Alvin, Veatch, Hydrographer, Welker, Heel tapper, Oceanographer, Gilbert, Lydonia, Powell, Munson, Nygren, and Heezen. The Councils also added the following eight canyon zones for analysis: Atlantis, Nantucket, Dogbody, Clipper, Sharpshooter, Filebottom, Chebacco, and an unnamed canyon between Nygren and Heezen.

The Council also approved for analysis the following deep-sea coral zones in the Gulf of Maine:  Jordan Basin, Outer Schoodic Ridge and Lindenkohl Knoll.

A Habitat Committee meeting is scheduled in August to review the analyses and to continue the development of alternatives for the Draft Amendment.  The Council is scheduled to finalize its decision on the preferred boundaries in September. Public hearings will be scheduled for November-December with the Council slated to take final action in January 2017 and implementation planned for October 2017.