Deep Sea Ecosystems Off Mauritania

This book compiles the main findings of the multidisciplinary long-term research program developed in the continental margin of one of the more productive and unknown areas of the world oceans, Northwest Africa. The more than 25,000 preserved fishes and benthic invertebrates and quantitative data collected in 342 trawling stations, the 267 oceanographic profiles, the 211 sediment samples and the 28,122 km2 prospected by multi˗beam echo sounding allowed to obtain an overview of the amazing biodiversity of the demersal and benthic fauna inhabiting soft- and hard-bottom habitats, as well as the fascinating geomorphology and oceanography, hidden in the Mauritanian slope.

This document is the final report of the eighth session of the Scientific Sub-Committee of the Fishery Committee for the Eastern Central Atlantic (CECAF), which was held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire from 23 to 26 October 2018. The SSC was immediately preceeded by a one-day meeting, on 22 October, on the EAF-Nansen Programme and upcoming survey related activities in the CECAF region. Major topics discussed were: (i) the reports of the assessment Working Groups on small pelagics and demersal species, as presented by the subgroups, and the report of the artisanal fisheries Working Group; (ii) fishery management advice in the CECAF region; (iii) reporting on the state of resources for the CECAF area and considerations for a revised advice framework; (iv) overview and coordination of ongoing research activities; (v) CECAF-FIRMS fisheries inventories; (vi) overview of CECAF statistics; (vii) deep-sea fisheries and vulnerable marine ecosystems; (viii) report of work of other projects/programmes in the CECAF region, report of work of research institutions or scientific groups in CECAF member countries; and (ix) future programme of work in the region. Le présent document constitue le rapport final de la huitième session du sous-comité scientifique du Comité des pêches pour l'Atlantique Centre-Est (COPACE), qui s'est tenue à Abidjan, en Côte d'Ivoire, du 23 au 26 octobre 2018. La session a été précédée d’une réunion d’une journée, le 22 octobre, sur le programme EAF-Nansen et les activités relatives aux enquêtes à venir dans la région du COPACE. Les principaux sujets de discussion ont été les suivants: (i) les rapports des groupes de travail sur l'évaluation des petits pélagiques et des espèces démersales, présentés par les sous-groupes, et le rapport du groupe de travail sur la pêche artisanale; (ii) avis de gestion de la pêche dans la région du COPACE; (iii) rendre compte de l'état des ressources pour la zone COPACE et des considérations pour un cadre d'avis révisé; (iv) aperçu et coordination des activités de recherche en cours; (v) inventaires des pêcheries CECAF-FIRMS; (vi) aperçu des statistiques du COPACE; (vii) pêche hauturière et écosystèmes marins vulnérables; (viii) rapport sur les travaux d'autres projets / programmes dans la région du COPACE, rapport sur les travaux d'institutions de recherche ou de groupes scientifiques dans les pays membres du COPACE; et (ix) programme de travail futur dans la région.

This is the report of the workshop on habitat mapping held as part of the activities under the implementation of the Science Plan of the EAF-Nansen Programme “Supporting the application of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries management considering climate and pollution impacts”. The workshop was held at the Hotel Abitart in Rome, Italy from 4 to 6 December 2018, with the main objectives of providing an overview of habitat mapping in the context of the EAF-Nansen Programme, reviewing and learning from past mapping experiences and modelling approaches and tools, and developing ‘best practice guidelines’ for exploratory habitat mapping and follow-up analyses in data poor waters.

Cold-water corals form reef structures in continental margin and seamount settings world-wide, making them more wide-spread and abundant than shallow-water reefs. Their role in these ecosystems is no less important than the influence that shallow-water coral reefs have on tropical systems. They create habitat structure, host endemic species, enhance elemental cycling, alter current flow, sequester carbon, and provide many other ecosystem services that we are just beginning to understand. The rapidly evolving state of knowledge of cold-water and deep-sea coral reefs has not been compiled in over 10 years. This volume synthesizes recent and historical information, reveals new findings from reefs that have been discovered only recently, and presents key avenues for future research. We are on the cusp of understanding the critical role that cold-water coral reefs play in the world’s oceans, and this book lays the foundation on which this knowledge will be built in the future.

This book presents the biodiversity of the Brazilian deep-sea and its many unique geological and biological features, as well as a review of its ecology, conservation, and future research needs. The deep-sea Brazilian margin has an incredible geological heterogeneity with numerous characteristic seafloor features, and latitudinal changes in marine productivity, oceanographic conditions and biological communities have resulted in very distinct biological assemblages at regional and bathymetric scales. It is a tremendously rich ecosystem in terms of living species, from which many well-known historical tales have originated, and with unique importance for the global climate and humanity. Nevertheless, vast areas of the Brazilian margin have been explored for fishing, oil and gas, and other commodities, likely impacting a variety of deep-sea habitats at scales and intensities yet undetermined. This book is intended for students, scholars, professionals and a wide audience interested in the deep-sea in general and, more specifically, in the South Atlantic deep-sea.

The objective of this report is to provide an overview of the key socio-economic, management and governance issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of deep-sea ecosystems and biodiversity. The report highlights our current understanding of these issues and identifies topics and areas that need further investigation to close gaps in knowledge. It also explores the needs and means for interfacing research with policy with a view to contributing to the political processes regarding deep-sea and high-seas governance, which are currently ongoing in various international flora within and outside the UN system. In addition, the report provides guidance on the future direction and focus of research on environmental, socio-economic and governance aspects in relation to the deep-sea.

The 16th Deep-Sea Biology Symposium was held in Brest, France, and online from the 12th to the 17th of September 2021. The first DSBS hybrid symposium brought together scientists, students, managers, policymakers, and industry specialists who presented advances in deep-sea research. Themes of the symposium, and of this Research Topic, include: - Conservation and stewardship: natural/anthropogenic impacts, conservation, governance. This includes but it is not limited to: deep-seabed mining, pollutants and debris, climate change impacts; marine spatial planning; stewardship of the deep ocean; - Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning: biodiversity patterns, species distribution, function; from polar to temperate regions, mesopelagic to hadal, microbes to large pelagic; - Life-history traits and population connectivity: reproductive ecology, larval development and dispersal, and population connectivity; - Adaptations of deep-sea organisms: from molecules to organisms: how life adapts to extreme conditions, including for instance bioluminescence and vision in the deep-sea; - Access to the deep sea: technological and methodological advances to access and investigate deep-sea life, including observatories and cutting edge technologies –e.g. A.I. and omics; - Deep-sea biomimicry: discovery of new technologies inspired by deep-sea biological solutions; - Science communication in the deep including innovative approaches to increase ocean literacy (merging “arts & sciences”).