23 September 2014
FAO Bulletin Highlights ABNJ Deep-Seas Project
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The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) released its Summer 2014 ‘Deep-Sea High Seas News' bulletin.

It features the approval of the Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ) Deep Seas Project, including FAO collaboration with Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) on the project.

FAOSeptember 2014: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) released its Summer 2014 ‘Deep-Sea High Seas News’ bulletin. It features the approval of the Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ) Deep Seas Project, including FAO collaboration with Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) on the project.

FAO hosted a workshop in June 2014 to discuss implementation of the ABNJ Deep Seas Project, which aims to improve biodiversity conservation in ABNJ and to achieve sustainability in the use of deep-sea living resources. The project will apply an ecosystem approach to: improve sustainable management practices for deep-sea fisheries; improve the protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs); enhance conservation and management of ecologically and biologically significant areas (EBSAs); and test area-based planning for deep-sea ecosystems. The project is expected to facilitate sharing of information among participating RFMOs. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) endorsed the ABNJ Deep Seas Project in June 2014 and its implementation has begun.

The bulletin also highlights the release of two species catalogues that provide identification tools for deep-sea cartilaginous fish species of the Indian Ocean. Volume 1 addresses sharks while Volume 2 covers batoids and chimaeras. Other activities described in the bulletin include workshops and testing on the VMEs database, which includes information on VME biology, habitat, impacts and management measures as well as links to reports and documents.

In early 2015, the EAF–Nansen project and the South East Atlantic Fisheries Organization (SEAFO) will conduct an assessment of deep–sea stocks and VMEs using the Research Vessel Dr. Fridtjof Nansen, according to the bulletin. The survey is expected to improve understanding of the southeast Atlantic’s deep sea ecosystems. [Deep-Sea High Seas News bulletin] [IISD RS Story on FAO Species Catalogues]

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