Integrated Management of Marine Ecosystems and the Role of Marine Protected Areas

Han Lindeboom

The North Seain 1880

Olsen, Piscatorial Atlas (1883)

Oysters

Moorlog

Mud, silt

Sand

Stones

1880 1990

The past = the present=the future

The Common Sole formerlyplentiful now very scarce, requiresimmediate attention for itspreservation or propagation.(Olsen, 1883)

The sole

More protection needed

Criteria for protection:

EU Habitat Directive:Sand banks Reefs, gravel Sub-marine structures, gasseepsSpecies: sea mammals, fish

EU Bird Directive:Species and occurrence of 1% of the population

OSPARThreatened and important species and habitatsEcological importance, High biodiversity,Representatively, vulnerability, naturalness

Sand banksGravel

Data: TNO, RWS

Benthic fauna

Data: Royal. NIOZ

Fish Birds

Annual mean

Proposed areas withspecial ecological values

(Lindeboom et al., 2005)

IntegratedManagement planNorth Sea 2015

4 areas nominated

Existing use will not change

J.Haelters et al.

Belgium

J.Haelters et al.

Westhinder

Use of the North Sea

Gas- and Oil-platforms

53N

Aalscholver

26-1000

11-25

6-10

2-5

0-1

June 2005

June 2007

Great cormorant

New parks ?

Fisheries: bottom trawling

Effects beam trawling

Killing target andnon-target species

Food birds

Changing: species age

habitats

Long term effects ?

Before

After

Callianassa

Upogebia

Quahog

Conclusions:

Significant difference unfished-fished

> shrimps and shelfish

> biodiversity

Beam trawling causes changes in

the fauna, which influences structure,

bioturbation and mineralisation.

This has large consequences for

the functioning of the benthic

ecosystem

7°E

7°E

6°E

6°E

5°E

5°E

4°E

4°E

3°E

3°E

2°E

2°E

55°N

54°N

53°N

52°N

500000 600000 700000 800000

570

000

058

000

00

590

000

060

000

00

610

000

0

Habitattypen diep, fijn en grof zand

diep, slibrijk

grind

middeldiep gemengd zand

ondiep fijn zand

Geploegd

Geharkt

Windmolenpark

platform 500 m buffer

Natuurlijke en door de mensgevormde habitattypen

“Old habitat types”

Sand bank

Gravel

Silt

“New habitat types”

Ploughed habitat

Raked habitat

Platforms

Wind park

Habitat types inthe North Sea

Will protectionbe effective ?

Example: the Quahog

Evaluation and targets for the Quahog populationRob Witbaard, IMARES/Royal NIOZ

The Frisian Front area has a relatively low abundanceof Quahogs (0.06/m2): 20 years ago this was 6 times higher

Beam trawl fisheries cause a large additional mortality upon Quahogs

Model calculations indicate that the Quahog will basically disappear from the Dutch Shelf in 2017 (Bergman & Sandbrink, 2000)

Quahog populations may be genetically different (Holmes, 2003)

Climate changes may lead to a change in Quahog distribution

To save Quahogs on the Dutch Shelf, fisheries intensities inareas with relative high densities should be strongly reduced

What area is most suited to protect Quahogs on the Dutch Shelf ?

C. Röckmann et al. (2007)Nat. Res. Modeling 20 (2):223-262

Fishing as usual

Permanent closure

Temporal closure

Climate change(salinity decrease)

7°E

7°E

6°E

6°E

5°E

5°E

4°E

4°E

3°E

3°E

2°E

2°E

55°N

54°N

53°N

52°N

500000 600000 700000 800000

570

000

058

000

00

590

000

060

000

00

610

000

0

Habitattypen diep, fijn en grof zand

diep, slibrijk

grind

middeldiep gemengd zand

ondiep fijn zand

Geploegd

Geharkt

Windmolenpark

platform 500 m buffer

Natuurlijke en door de mensgevormde habitattypen

Or real closures ??

Conclusions:

An integrated approach of protection, harvestingand building is needed for a sustainable North Sea

Fisheries is at the limit of the carrying capacityof the ecosystem: big changes are needed

The human pressure is rapidly increasing

In 1880, >20% of the Dutch North Sea bottom was ‘hard’, now almost everywhere sand and mud

MPA’s should be created

Thank you.