Science governs the future of the mesopelagic zone

Schadeberg, Amanda; Kraan, Marloes; Groeneveld, R.A.; Trilling, Damian; Bush, Simon R.

doi:10.1038/s44183-023-00008-8

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…Until such policies are created, science is a primary avenue by which the public and lawmakers understand and value deep sea ecosystems 19 . Already within the last few years, scientific knowledge of the mesopelagic zone has increased rapidly, with new insights into the amount of carbon dioxide being stored, revised biomass estimates of mesopelagic fish, and new economic links between mesopelagic ecosystems and society 1,[19][20][21] .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Five reasons to take the precautionary approach to deep sea exploitation

Bisson

McMonagle

Iglesias

et al. 2023

Commun Earth Environ

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Extractive activities in the deep sea are poised to advance faster than the science needed to evaluate risks. Here, we call for a strong precautionary approach in developing these industries.Food and energy insecurity have been exacerbated by climate change, conflict, and disease, with global energy demands only expected to grow. Seabed mining and deep-sea fishing have been suggested as ways to support shifting to renewable energy and increasing food supply. These industries are likely to impact one of the largest habitats on Earth, our ocean's mesopelagic zone, at depths between ~200 and 1000 m. Once assumed to be lifeless, we now know the mesopelagic zone is rich with life and a vital component of the global ecosystem. Recently, industries have begun exploratory extractive activities, while our scientific understanding of the impacts of these activities on the mesopelagic zone is trailing behind (Fig. 1). Here, we outline five reasons why we advocate for a precautionary approach to deep-sea exploitation in order to make evidencebased decisions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Five reasons to take the precautionary approach to deep sea exploitation

Bisson

McMonagle

Iglesias

et al. 2023

Commun Earth Environ

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“…Thus, it is important to understand the nutrient flow in mesopelagic species, which may nevertheless provide insights into the possible environmental impacts and sustainability of potential fisheries. For mesopelagic systems, these are particularly vital (Hidalgo and Browman, 2019;Grimaldo et al, 2020;Standal and Grimaldo, 2021;Fjeld et al, 2023) due to their trophic functions in nutrient cycling, carbon fixation (Li et al, 2022;Schadeberg et al, 2023), and mediating ocean health (Bank et al, 2020).…”

Section: Other Driversmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences in nutrient and undesirable substance concentrations in Maurolicus muelleri across the Bay of Biscay, Norwegian fjords, and the North Sea

et al. 2023

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IntroductionWe are having pressing issues of global food insecurity and malnutrition. Mesopelagic communities in the North Atlantic have been estimated to have high biomasses of organisms. Some of these low-trophic organisms are known to be nutrient-dense and may thus contribute to food security and nutrition. Here, we aim to understand the variation in nutrient and undesirable substance concentrations in a common mesopelagic species, Maurolicus muelleri in the North Atlantic Ocean.MethodsWe sampled the M. muelleri from the Bay of Biscay (BB), Norwegian fjords (NF), and the North Sea (NS). The concentrations of micro- and macronutrients, undesirable metals, and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were measured in composite whole fish samples.ResultsWe found no difference across the sampling areas in the selected micronutrients except that the NF and NS samples had higher vitamin A1 concentrations than the BB samples. The NF samples had higher concentrations of fat, fatty acids, and POPs but lower concentrations of cadmium than the BB and NS samples; the differences in fat and fatty acids were only marginal in the NF-BB pair. The BB samples had lower arsenic concentrations than the NS samples, and lower concentrations of erucic acid and mercury than the NF and NS samples. Comparing the measured values against existing EU regulation values for nutrients and undesirable substances for human consumption, we found that the samples from NS and BB may cause food safety concerns due to their high cadmium concentrations, while the M. muelleri from all the sampling areas are qualified as good sources of iron, selenium, vitamin A1, and ω-3 fatty acids.DiscussionThis study confirms that M. muelleri from the North Atlantic Ocean may play an important role in food security and nutrition. However, potential variations in nutrient and undesirable substance concentrations related to seasonality, fish body size, and maturity level shall be taken into consideration prior to exploiting such a marine resource. Further understanding of trophic ecology, life cycles, and productivity of M. muelleri is essential to investigate the drivers behind the observed variation in nutrient and undesirable substance concentrations.

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“…The mesopelagic zone has gained considerable interest due to its potential as a new fisheries resource and the role mesopelagic organisms may play in carbon sequestration in the deep ocean (St. John et al, 2016;Grimaldo et al, 2020;Standal & Grimaldo, 2020;Fjeld et al, 2023;Schadeberg et al, 2023). Estimates of global mesopelagic fish biomass range between 1 and 15 Gt, though with significant uncertainty due to sampling challenges such as trawl avoidance and non-fish sources of acoustic energy (Gjosaeter, 1986;Kaartvedt et al, 2012;Irigoien et al, 2014;Anderson et al, 2019;Proud et al, 2019).…”

Section: Motivation For a Potential Mesopelagic Fisherymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The potential diminishment of this regulating ecosystem service, for example due to climate change or exploitation, could attribute to significant economic losses by increased mitigation and adaptation costs (Barange et al, 2017). Considering the potentially high social opportunity costs of this fishery and the trade-offs between regulating, cultural, supporting and provisioning ecosystem services of the mesopelagic ecosystem (Hoagland et al, 2019), the final management framework and governance of the potential harvest in the mesopelagic should not be a purely scientific question, but also a legal and social consideration (Schadeberg et al, 2023).…”

Section: Management and Governance Of A Potential Mesopelagic Fisherymentioning

confidence: 99%

Economic viability of a large vessel mesopelagic fishery under ecological uncertainty

Vastenhoud,

Bastardie,

Andersen

et al. 2023

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Motivated by the global rise in demand for marine products, there is increased interest in exploitation of the mesopelagic zone. However, the feasibility of this potential fishery remains uncertain, partly due to limited biological data and knowledge on sustainability of exploitation, and due to questions related to its economic viability. Consequently, there is a demand for better insights into these factors before any commencement of a fishery. Here we use the DISPLACE individual-vessel based bio-economic model to evaluate economic and biological trade-offs of a fishery on Maurolicus muelleri and Benthosema glaciale, the main potential target fish species in the mesopelagic zone of the Northeast Atlantic. We found that a fish price between 1.6-5.0 €/kg is necessary for mesopelagic resources to assure a profitable mesopelagic fishery, which is twice that expected for species with similar fat content. These high fish prices are necessary to cover the high fuel consumption costs due to the distant fishing grounds. Furthermore, the distance of the fishing grounds makes the fuel tank capacity a limiting factor for the fishery. A first evaluation of preliminary harvest control strategies indicated that a low fishing mortality of F = 0.2 year-1 resulted in the highest potential profitability of the fishery. Restriction of gear mesh sizes did not significantly affect the profitability of the fishery. We show that the current ecological uncertainties, especially regarding the life-history, species-specific and spatio-temporal abundance and distribution estimates have a significant impact on the estimates of potential viability of the fishery. It is therefore of the utmost importance to gain more insights in those factors before investments are made into the development of such fishery.

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Science governs the future of the mesopelagic zone

Cited by 10 publications

References 71 publications

Five reasons to take the precautionary approach to deep sea exploitation

Five reasons to take the precautionary approach to deep sea exploitation

Differences in nutrient and undesirable substance concentrations in Maurolicus muelleri across the Bay of Biscay, Norwegian fjords, and the North Sea

Economic viability of a large vessel mesopelagic fishery under ecological uncertainty

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