Conservation aspects of deep-water fishing in the Northeastern Atlantic, within exclusive economic zones and on the high seas

The expansion and diversification of deep-water demersal Fisheries in the Northeastern Atlantic began in the early 1990s partly as a result of declining shelf resources but also in response to advances in fishing technology. Whereas previously deep-water Fisheries were mostly artisanal and close to the coast the new Fisheries have increasingly moved into offshore waters, both within exclusive economiczones (EEZs) and on the high seas. Biological information on the exploited species has steadily improved, but not before most stocks had been overfished. Now, at least within EEZs, some management measures have been introduced. Until recently the issue of the impact of these Fisheries on the ecosystem has been largely ignored. Most research has centered on single species Fisheries on hard bottom sediments, especially on seamounts. The effect of the mixed bottom trawl fishery on soh-bottom sediments, where discarding of fish and invertebrates is also high, has been neglected. This paper highlights some of the conservation aspects of deep-water fishing in the Northeastern Atlantic.