Seabed Habitats

Outcomes: Researchers were able to assess the impacts of decommissioning marine renewable energy installations (MREI) and provide advice for future decommissioning plans. It was found that the MREI in this area supported similar assemblages to the surrounding habitats, and therefore longer-term monitoring of habitat change were required.

How EMODnet Seabed Habitats helped the user: EMODnet provided broad-scale habitat data for the study area.

Outcomes: Authors present a framework to assess the impacts of mobile fishing gear on the seabed and benthic ecosystems, the principles of which are applicable to all benthic habitats and trawl fisheries, and can be used across a wide range of spatial scales.

How EMODnet Seabed Habitats helped the user: EMODnet provided EUNIS Level 3 habitat maps across European waters.

Outcomes: Authors present a framework to assess the impacts of mobile fishing gear on the seabed and benthic ecosystems, the principles of which are applicable to all benthic habitats and trawl fisheries, and can be used across a wide range of spatial scales.

How EMODnet Seabed Habitats helped the user: EMODnet provided EUNIS Level 3 habitat maps across European waters.

Outcomes: Authors were able to predictively model the extent of protected Annex I features within Scottish Marine Protected Areas, Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protected Areas, where survey data did not exist. 

How EMODnet Seabed Habitats helped the user: Data on physical variables were freely available for the areas of interest.

Nature Scot – Scottish Natural Heritage (Nature Scot)

When was it used: 2017

Outcomes: Researchers were able to produce GIS maps showing the spatial overlap between high discard rate areas and seabed habitats in case study areas of the Mediterranean.  This fed into a wider project, with the overall goal of eliminating discards in European marine fisheries.

How EMODnet Seabed Habitats helped the user: Data on seabed habitats were available in all study areas of the project.

Minouw Project – Minouw Project

Authors were able to quantify indicators of ecosystem damage from disturbance of the seabed, highlighting areas with the longest estimated ecological recovery time. 

Authors identified that boundaries of successful no-take MPAs may still be zones of high stress for habitat forming species such as maerl. Additionally, authors suggested that MPA designations should re-consider boundaries in areas with low-resilience, key-forming habitat species.

Outcomes: Successfully quantifying the overall condition of European seas, authors were able to conceptualise indicator-based spatial tools to apply ecosystem-based approaches to human activities and provide practical solutions to marine governance. The report is considered a contribution to the MSFD Article 20.3 reporting and provides material which can be used to the 8^th Environment Action Plan.

How EMODnet Seabed Habitats helped the user: Contained habitat data at the resolution and coverage required.

Users identified the main areas where disturbance from bottom-contact fishing was predicted to cause the most significant impact to benthic marine habitats. This work fed directly into the OSPAR Intermediate Assessment (2017) with future implications towards the Marine Strategy Framework Directive assessments.

AQUIND Interconnector is a new subsea and underground High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) electric power transmission link between the South Coast of England and Normandy in France. EMODnet Seabed Habitat’s broad-scale predictive habitat map for Europe, enabled AQUIND to conduct their Environmental Impact Assemssment scoping report in order to identify the main habitat types reported in the region that intersects the proposed cable route.