[NEW STUDY] The ocean’s twilight zone could contain huge new #fisheries, but we don’t know much about these species and ecosystems.
So are we ready to effectively manage such a fishery?
https://tinyurl.com/y2l6vjub
#Thread
By @MarinePolicy
cc @4kgjerde
So are we ready to effectively manage such a fishery?
![Rückhand Zeigefinger nach rechts 👉](https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f449.png)
#Thread
By @MarinePolicy
cc @4kgjerde
Many mesopelagic organisms make a daily migration through the water column - up in the evening
down at first light
.
![Zunehmender Viertelmond mit Gesicht 🌛](https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f31b.png)
![Sonne mit Gesicht 🌞](https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f31e.png)
This transfers #energy from the productive surface waters to the dark depths below and acts as a "biological pump" that locks away huge quantities of #carbon
![Fabrik 🏭](https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f3ed.png)
Lanternfish (myctophids) are particularly abundant ![Fisch 🐟](https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f41f.png)
![Fisch 🐟](https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f41f.png)
They are a key link in marine food webs, feeding on plankton before falling prey to tuna and other commercially important species ![Angelrute und Fisch 🎣](https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f3a3.png)
Photo credit: © Paul Caiger, @WHOI
![Fisch 🐟](https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f41f.png)
![Fisch 🐟](https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f41f.png)
![Fisch 🐟](https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f41f.png)
![Angelrute und Fisch 🎣](https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f3a3.png)
Photo credit: © Paul Caiger, @WHOI
Lanternfish have escaped our attention for decades because they were hard to catch & process (plus they taste bad and contain toxins), but technological advancements make it possible to turn them into fishmeal & high-value omega 3 supplements
![Tablette 💊](https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f48a.png)
History is replete with examples of #fish stock collapse, but mismanagement of mesopelagic fisheries could have profound global ramifications (see previous re carbon cycle & food webs!)
![Schriftrolle 📜](https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f4dc.png)
![Schriftrolle 📜](https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f4dc.png)
E.g. Over 15 years have passed since the UN called for States to "urgently adopt" measures to protect vulnerable ecosystems from bottom trawling, but a recent @DeepSeaConserve assessment found that there is still a long way to go. http://www.savethehighseas.org/resources/publications/preventing-biodiversity-loss-in-the-deep-sea-a-critique-of-compliance-by-high-seas-fishing-nations-and-rfmos-with-global-environmental-commitments/
International law requires a State to seek RFMO approval for a new #fishery, but a proposal would not be subject to a thorough environmental assessment and stakeholders have no opportunity to provide input or object.
Only States with an economic interest get a seat at the table. This effectively leaves the governance of mesopelagic fisheries, and the fate of the globally significant ecosystem services they provide, in the hands of a few fishing States.
Negotiations for a new #highseas treaty are currently ongoing, providing an opportunity to reinforce environmental obligations. But negotiations are delayed & it will be years before an agreement has any impact on the water https://tinyurl.com/yxq6leps
Other options could focus attention on the issue, e.g. development of international guidelines (like the @FAO guidelines for deep-sea fisheries) and UN resolutions, but are unlikely to result in effective management in the absence of further efforts.
That’s why some deep-sea scientists are calling for a moratorium on fishing to give them time to advance their research before exploitation begins. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00915-7
A range of scientific projects are underway to shed light on the twilight zone ![Motorboot 🛥](https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f6e5.png)
![Woman scientist 👩🔬](https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f469-200d-1f52c.png)
![DNA 🧬](https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f9ec.png)
@WHOI @Ocean_JETZON @COMICS_Carbon @SUMMERH2020 #MEESO
![Motorboot 🛥](https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f6e5.png)
![Woman scientist 👩🔬](https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f469-200d-1f52c.png)
![DNA 🧬](https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f9ec.png)
![Test tube 🧪](https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f9ea.png)
![Mikroskop 🔬](https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f52c.png)
The @PacificCouncil, which manages #fisheries on the west coast of the US, has already prohibited fishing for mesopelagic species until they can understand the potential impacts. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/fisheries-west-coast-states-comprehensive-ecosystem-based-amendment-1-amendments-fishery
There are precedents for such a moratorium at the global level, most recently an international agreement to protect the Central #Arctic Ocean
The CAO Agreement ensures that fishing doesn’t start until proper regulations are in place.
https://arctic-council.org/ru/news/exploring-the-arctic-ocean-the-agreement-that-protects-an-unknown-ecosystem/
![Schneeflocke ❄️](https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/2744.png)
![Rückhand Zeigefinger nach rechts 👉](https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f449.png)
Opportunities to advance our scientific understanding & establish effective governance mechanisms are on the horizon, e.g. through the #highseas negotiations & the @IocUnesco #OceanDecade.
https://oceandecade.org/
![Rückhand Zeigefinger nach rechts 👉](https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f449.png)
Given the role of mesopelagic ecosystems in the carbon cycle and food webs, one thing is clear: we need to understand and protect the #Ocean’s twilight zone, before it’s too late.