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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The first meeting of the Working Group on Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (WGVME) took place from 3 to 5 April 2017 at the La Noria Cooperation Center, Malaga, Spain and was organized in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature – Mediterranean (IUCN-Med) and Oceana. As agreed by the fortieth session of the GFCM (June 2016, Malta), the meeting discussed appropriate measures related to the protection of VMEs according to the FAO mandate. In particular, it addressed issues relating to the definition and management of deep-sea fisheries (DSF) and vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) in the Mediterranean, within the framework of the 2004, 2006 and 2009 Resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and of the FAO International Guidelines for the Management of Deep-sea Fisheries in the High Seas (2008). The UNGA resolutions and the FAO Guidelines provide guidance to States and regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) on the long-term conservation and sustainable use of marine living resources in the high seas, including preventing significant adverse impacts (SAIs) on VMEs by bottom-contact fishing gear. The meeting reviewed the current GFCM management measures specific to deep-sea fisheries and biodiversity protection and the relevant associated conclusions and recommendations from previous meetings (including SAC, Commission and FAO workshops). The meeting formulated proposals to GFCM SAC to further address the management of DSF and the protection of VMEs in the GFCM area of application. This included the adoption of VME indicators (features, habitats and taxa) and management elements for the establishment of a VME encounter protocol, of an exploratory deep-sea bottom fishing protocol, and for the mapping of the existing deep-sea fishing areas for the Mediterranean.