The UN General Assembly has consistently called for the protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems, including seamounts. Josephine Seamount, located in the North-East Atlantic was previously recommended for closure by ICES, because of the high likelihood of VMEs in the area. Although the OSPAR Commission has designated Josephine as a Marine Protected Area, NEAFC has maintained Josephine open to bottom-contact fishing, citing that the existing VME indicator records are outdated and insufficient to confirm the presence of VMEs. Recently, ICES evaluated Josephine Seamount under the Convention on Biological Diversity’s criteria for Other Effective Conservation Measures (OECMs), confirming that Josephine meets two VME criteria: uniqueness and rarity and functional significance of habitat, further supporting calls for the seamount’s closure to bottom-contact fishing.
This paper assesses Josephine Seamount’s vulnerability using the FAO’s VME criteria, concluding that the available scientific evidence demonstrates that Josephine meets all five VME criteria. This review suggests that based on scientific evidence Josephine seamount should be designated as a VME closure to protect its vital ecosystems and preserve its biodiversity from further degradation.
Read the paper here.