LevelPressureLess12PassiveMobile

LevelPressureMore12Passive

LevelPressureMore12MobileSeabed

LevelPressureMore12MobileOther

LevelPressureFishingRecreational

LevelPressureFishingOther

LevelPressureShellfishCollection

ImpactPressureSeabedHabitats

ImpactPressureFunctionalGroup

ImpactPressureExploitedFish

ImpactPressureExploitedShellfish

ExtractionCommerciallyExpFish3_2or3_3

ExtractionCommerciallyExpShellfish3_2or3_3

NotAssessed

Demersal bony fish , Demersal elasmobranchs , Pelagic elasmobranchs, Pelagic bony fish , Deepwater bony fish , Deepwater elasmobranchs, Marine Mammals, Seabirds

Cod VIa (F & SSB), Plaice VIIfg (F & SSB), Cod VIIa (F & SSB), Whiting VIIa (F & SSB), Sole VIIa (F & SSB) , Albacore Tuna North Atlantic (F&SSB), Haddock VIIb-k (F), NEA mackerel Northeast Atlantic (F) , Herring VIaS VIIbc (F), Plaice VIIhjk (F), Western Horse mackerel IIa IVa VI VIIa-c,e-k VIII (F) , Whiting VIa (SSB), Haddock VIa (SSB), Spurdog North-east Atlantic (SSB), Bluefin Tuna East Atlantic & Mediterranean (SSB)

Lobster VI and VII

NotGood

OtherStatus

Improving

Stable

High

Moderate

Not good; lobster Good; scallop Good; crab Good; Nephrops

There is currently no legal requirement in the European Union for fishing vessels <10 m to report either landings or effort, as a consequence there is no spatial or temporal data on fishing pressure for vessels of this size. The information presented for the fishing category “<12 m” is split into two subcategories due to data availability; these are vessels <10 m and vessels between 10-12 m. The information for vessels <10m is based on a number of compiled sources and expert opinion. The estimated number of vessels is based on the national fishing fleet registrar. This does not provide information on the number of vessels that are actively fishing and an annual estimate of 30% was used, this figure does not account for any interannual variability. As there are no data on fishing effort, fishing effort was estimated to be 100 days per active vessel per year, based on expert opinion. Due to a lack of data, spatial distribution of effort and its interannual variability is not known. For the subcategory 10-12 m, Irish logbook data is available and gives information on the vessel characteristics, the fishing effort and the spatial distribution of Irish vessels at the spatial resolution of ICES statistical rectangles. Due to the coarse spatial resolution, the data cannot be used to estimate the proportion of assessment area (%) which is subject to fishing pressure from this category. Due to the lack of reporting for vessels <10 m, the trend analysis is only based on the number of registered vessels. The proportion of registered vessels <10 m that are actively fishing is not known and only estimated by expert opinion. Absolute levels of fishing effort are not known and 100 fishing days a year per active vessel is estimated, based on expert opinion. Change in vessel effort over time is not known. Accurate predictions cannot be made.

For vessels between 12 to 15 m lengths, only information on Irish vessels could be presented as the data is sourced from Irish logbook data. The logbook data is available at the spatial resolution of one ICES statistical rectangle and data records were included in the analysis, if the midpoint of the rectangle overlapped with the assessment area. The spatial footprint calculated for this gear type does not include the Irish logbook data for vessels 12-15 m as it does not directly compare to the 15 m+ data and the results would be an overestimate due to the coarse spatial reporting scale. Future expected trends in the pressure are unknown as no predictions can be made on future fishing activity.

For vessels between 12 to 15 m lengths, only information on Irish vessels could be presented as the data is sourced from Irish logbook data. The logbook data is available at the spatial resolution of one ICES statistical rectangle and data records were included in the analysis, if the midpoint of the rectangle overlapped with the assessment area. The spatial footprint calculated for this gear type cannot include the Irish logbook data for vessels 12-15 m as it does not directly comparable to the 15 m+ data and the results would be an overestimate due to the coarse spatial reporting scale. Future expected trends in the pressure are unknown as no predictions can be made on future fishing activity.

Seabed habitats and the biological communities they support have not been sampled adequately to make an informed assessment of the impact of selective extraction. The assessment is based on expert judgement, data that are semi-quantitative and published studies from outside the Irish assessment area.

At present quantitative values cannot be given to assess the impacts of selective extraction on functional groups.

Qualitative evaluation against reference points was carried out for: Sole (VIIhjk); Plaice (VIIhjk) ; Plaice (VIIfg); Megrim (VIb); Hake (II, III, IV, VI, VII, VIII); Whiting (VIIa) Plaice (VIIa) and Boarfish (VI, VII, VIII). The following stocks had only trend based evaluation of either fishing mortality or biomass: Anglerfish (VI, IIa, IIIa, Iva); Ling (IIIa, IVa, VI, VII, VIII, IX, XII, and XIV); Megrim (VIIb-k & VIIIabe); Anglerfish (VII & VIII); Haddock (VIIa). The following stocks had no information: Plaice (VIIbc) Sole (VIIbc). For stocks that were not assessed against reference points it was not possible to assess whether these stocks are inside or outside safe biological limits. This is partly due to the short time series of relevant monitoring programmes which do not cover the history of the fisheries and therefore give no indication of biomass levels at different levels of exploitation.

Limitation of shellfish stocks: The state of the following Nephrops stocks FU20-21 is largely unknown and the assessement is not based on full analytical assessment but on expert judgement: Nephrops FU 20-21; Scallops: The relationship between catch rate indices and biomass may hold only at very local level. Lobster: Although the egg per recruit assessment indicates that egg production is within limit reference point there are uncertainties in estimation of current F which is based on length cohort analysis (shellfish review 2009p. 57). Catch rate data is variable and from a small voluntary reference fleets - it is only representative at a local geographical scale. Edible crab: Grading may vary over time. LPUE of offshore fleet covered 60% of fishing activity by Irish offshore crab fleet between 1990-2009 and was spatially referenced at fine resolution.

The <12 m vessel category includes all gear types. Data is summarised for the years between 2006 and 2011 and split into <10 m and 10-12 m vessel length based on data availability. The number of Irish vessels <10 m registered increased almost twofold from 870 in 2006 to 1610 in 2011. There has been a small decrease in the average engine size (from 25 to 23 kilowatt (kW)) and vessel size (7.1 m to 6.8 m and 2.8 to 2.3 gross tonnage (GT)) over the observed time period. The proportion of registered vessels <10 m that are actively fishing is not known and is estimated by expert opinion to be 30% in a given year (Tully, pers. com). Fishing effort is not known and if an estimated figure of 100 fishing days a year per active vessel is used (based on expert opinion, Tully, pers. com), total fishing effort in this category can be estimated to range between 25,000 and 50,000 days with an annual increase proportional to the number of vessels. Accurate fishing locations are not known, but fishing activity of <10 m vessels is assumed to be widespread around Ireland within 3 nautical miles from the coast. It is not known how the spatial distribution has changed over time. The number of vessels between 10-12 m ranged annually between 75 and 148 vessels with no temporal trend apparent. Average engine size ranged between 81 and 90kW with a steady decline in the last six years while mean tonnage decreased from 12 tons to 11 tons over the time period. There has been some increase in effort in the 10-12 m vessels from below 3000 fishing days in 2006 to almost 7000 fishing days in 2010. Most fishing effort occurred in VIIb (west of Ireland), followed by the Irish Sea (VIIa) and the Celtic Sea (VIIg and VIIj). The increase in effort could be observed in all main fishing areas.

Passive gear includes gillnets, pots and lines. Data is summarised for the years between 2006 and 2011. The average number of Irish vessels in this gear category was 45, with highest numbers in 2007 (53) and lowest numbers in 2006 and 2011 (40). Average engine power of Irish vessels has decreased steadily from 284kW in 2006 to 174 kW in 2011, while mean annual vessel tonnage decreased twofold from 119 tons to 57 tons. The annual Irish effort has been relatively stable (between 2700 and 3400 fishing days) without a clear temporal trend. On average there have been around 200 foreign vessels (15 m+) with passive gear in Irish waters per year. Foreign effort peaked in 2007, fluctuating around 14000 fishing days per year. Current spatial effort of passive gear of vessels 15 m+ (Irish and foreign) occurs along the continental slope west of Ireland stretching from VIIj&k, across VIIb&c to VIa. There are also patches of increased fishing effort with passive gear in the Celtic Sea in VIIg and VIIj. The highest effort has been observed in VIIj, with some increase in effort observed between 2006 and 2011. In the other ICES divisions, such as VIa, VIIc VIIb VIIk, effort has been either stable or decreasing.

Bottom impacting mobile gear includes trawls such as otter and beam trawls and dredges. Data is summarised for the years between 2006 and 2011. The number of Irish vessels in this gear category ranged between 170 and 233 with an annual mean of 201 vessels. Within the described time frame, vessel numbers decreased from its maximum value in 2007 to its lowest in 2011. Average engine power and vessel tonnage of Irish vessels have remained relatively stable at round 367 kW and 137 tons respectively. Irish overall effort for this category (in days) has decreased over the six year period from highest levels of over 25,000 fishing days in 2007 to less than 20,000 days in 2011. There are, on average, ca 330 foreign vessels (15 m+) in this gear category in Irish waters every year. A steady decline of foreign vessel numbers has been observed from 2008 figures (382 vessels) to 2011 figure (228). Average engine power and vessel tonnage has been fluctuating without a trend. Overall, effort of foreign vessels with mobile impacting gear has decreased by 50% from its highest values in 2007 to its current levels. Current spatial effort of Irish and foreign vessels is concentrated on the demersal fishing grounds around Ireland. Highest effort was in the Celtic Sea (in VIIg and VIIj) with widespread fishing activity across the area and in particular on fishing grounds such as the Smalls, Labadie Bank and the Galley grounds; effort was also high on the Nephrops grounds and the Kish bank in the Irish Sea (VIIa), Southwest of Ireland (VIIj) along the 200 m contour line and on the shelf, the southern slope of the Porcupine Bank in VIIk and VIIc, the back of the Aran Nephrops grounds west of Ireland in VIIb and along the continental slope west to northwest of Ireland (VIIb and VIIc). The strongest decrease in effort over time has been observed in the Celtic Sea (VIIg,j,k) and the west of Ireland (VIIb,c).

“Mobile gear other” includes pelagic trawls, longlines, seines and others. Data are summarised for the years between 2006 and 2011. The number of Irish vessels in this gear category ranged between 69 and 87 with an annual mean of 74 vessels. Highest number of vessels was recorded in 2011. Vessel tonnage and engine power fluctuated without trend. The Irish effort in this category (in fishing days) has fluctuated over the six year period, but peaked in 2007 with almost 3000 days, declined towards 2009 and has been rising again in the last 2 years. The number of international vessels ranged from 72 to 118 vessels and international effort was at highest recorded levels in 2011 and lowest levels in 2009. Current spatial effort for this gear category is divided into pelagic trawl and seines. Pelagic effort was distributed along the continental shelf break to the west of Ireland where pelagic fisheries target mackerel, horse mackerel and blue whiting; the inshore areas along the southwest and north coasts where vessels are fishing for herring and sprat and patches in the Celtic Sea (VIIg and VIIj). Highest effort and an increase in effort has been noted in VIIj for pelagic trawls. Seine effort was concentrated in VIIg where a strong decrease in effort occurred between 2006 and 2009.

There are currently insufficient data on the status and condition of predominant seabed habitats and their associated communities in the Irish assessment area to quantitatively evaluate the degree of impact by fishing. Qualitative evaluation is based on the spatial overlap of bottom contacting fishing gear with Predominant Habitat Types (PHTs) in the Irish Assessment Area, previously published studies on impacts of bottom fishing activities on seabed habitat types, and consensus expert opinion. Based on previously described impacts of bottom fishing activities on seabed habitat types, the degree (% overlap) and spatial distribution of estimated VMS bottom-fishing activity within each specific PHT and consensus expert opinion, a range of PHT were identified as being potentially impacted by bottom contacting fishing gear. PHT potentially impacted by bottom fishing activities are listed below (overlap of VMS-based bottom fishing activity expressed as a % of the total PHT area are included in parenthesis): Potentially impacted shallow sublittoral PHT (<50 m) include mud (~21%), sand (~11%), coarse sediment (~9%), mixed sediments (~2%) and, rock and biogenic reef (~2%); Shelf sublittoral (50 – 200 m) potentially impacted PHT include mud (~20%), sand (~8%), mixed sediments (~2%) and coarse sediments (~1%). Potentially impacted PHT on the upper slope (200 – 1500 m) include mud (~13%) and sand (~7%) habitats. Upper bathyal sediments (~3%) may also be impacted. Impacts from bottom-fishing can be broadly characterised as biological or physical. Biological disturbance can arise from the extraction of components from the system (e.g. predators, prey, competitors) while physical disturbances occur through the direct interaction of fishing gear with the habitat (Jennings et al., 2001). Extraction of benthic infauna and epifauna can cause changes in community composition and structure, and a reduction in habitat complexity (Jennings and Kaiser, 1998). The sensitivity of PHT to fishing disturbance is spatially and temporally variable and is dependent on substrate type, depth, seasonality in the community and, local topographic and hydrographic conditions. Based on the outcomes of metastudies, the following broad generalisations can be made on the impact of bottom contacting mobile fishing on PHTs: There is a gradient with greatest impacts on hard, complex bottoms dominated by sessile structural epifauna and least impact on sandy bottoms; greatest impacts on low energy environments and least impact on high-energy environments (Collie et al., 2000, Kaiser et al., 2006; Lokkeborg, 2005). Recovery times in coarser sediments tend to be shorter than in fine sand or muddy sediments (Collie et al., 2000; Dernie et al., 2003; Kaiser et al, 2006). Recovery of slow-growing large-biomass biota, such as sponges and soft corals, can take up to 8 years while recovery times of biota with shorter life-spans such as polychaetes can be less than a year (Kaiser et al., 2006), When comparing different trawl gear, disturbance to the habitat is considered less for otter trawling than beam trawling (Collie et al., 2000; Kaiser et al., 2006), however modification to gear such as rollers and tickler chains increase degree of impact. Dredges can exert strong disturbances on benthic habitats including the subsurface habitats as they are designed to penetrate the seafloor substrates to disturb and capture the target species. Both deposit- and suspension-feeders have been shown to be consistently vulnerable to scallop dredging across gravel, sand and mud habitats (Kaiser et al., 2006).

Fisheries interact with functional groups both directly (e.g. directly through targeted or non-targeted capture of species) or indirectly (e.g. resource competition, supply of fisheries discards, physical degradation of habitats). Fish: Excessive extraction of targeted and non-target fish species may affect the size and age distribution of fish and lead to impaired population reproductive capacity and a risk of stock collapse (Jennings et al., 2001). Fish community structure, impacted by fishing, can change to be dominated by smaller, faster growing species with short life-spans at lower trophic levels (Jennings and Kaiser, 2001). Due to their longer life-span, slower growth, delayed maturity and lower fertility rates many deepwater fish species are very vulnerable to overfishing. High levels of exploitation in the past have led to the depletion of some deepwater fish stocks such as deepwater sharks and orange roughy (Marine Institute, 2012). The majority of demersal fisheries are mixed, catching a large number of commercial and non-commercial species. Consequently, these fisheries do not only affect commercial species but impact on the wider fish community. Many non commercial fish species are discarded. The five non-commercial fish species that are most commonly discarded in the Irish Assessment Area are lesser spotted dogfish, grey gurnard, dab, forkbeard and poor cod (Anon, 2011). Seabirds: Direct effects: In general, the main fishing activities accounting for by-catch of seabirds are gillnets, long line fisheries and trawlers (Dayton et al, 1995; Jennings et al., 1998; Tasker et al., 2000). At present, quantitative values cannot be given to assess levels of by-catch within the Irish Assessment Area. Indirect effects: Fisheries discards have been shown to affect seabirds through the increased availability of food to scavenger species such as Northern fulmar, Great Skua and Herring gull whose abundances in the North Sea area may be above levels that naturally occurring food sources could sustain (Tasker and Furness, 1996). The relative impact of discards on Irish seabird populations has not been quantified for this reporting. Fishing is also in direct competition with birds for their food resources (Tasker et al., 2000; Jennings and Kaiser, 2001) and commercially fished species such as sand eels, herring, pilchards and sprat may be depleted to the point where there are impacts on bird population levels (Tasker et al., 2000). Current levels of competition between fisheries and seabirds for prey resources have not been quantified in Irish waters. Marine mammals: Direct effects: Harbour porpoise are particularly susceptible to by-catch in bottom-set static nets while dolphins are susceptible to by-catch in trawl, and static net fisheries (Tregenza et al., 1997; Mannocci et al., 2012). Studies conducted between in the periods 1992–1994 (Tregenza et al., 1997) and 2005–2007 (Cosgrove and Browne, 2007) assessed cetacean bycatch in the set gillnet fishery in the Celtic Sea. Tregenza et al (1997) estimated 2,200 Harbour porpoises and 230 Common dolphins were caught by UK and Irish vessels in this fishery during 1993/94. In 2006 estimates of harbour porpoise bycaught by Irish vessels ranged between 278-430 animals (Cosgrove and Browne, 2007). This rate of bycatch was similar to that reported by Trengenza et al (1997) for the period 1993–94. Bycatch estimates for Irish vessels fell to 161 porpoise in 2007 (BIM 2008) and 160 in 2008 (BIM, 2009). This reduction was attributed to reduced fishing effort and/or the use of pingers on gillnets. The UK Cetacean Bycatch Monitoring Scheme, estimated the bycatch of harbour porpoise in gillnet fisheries in the Irish and Celtic Sea in 2008 to be <1.7% of the best population estimate and unlikely to represent a threat to population levels (SMRU, 2009). Cetacean bycatch monitoring in Ireland in 2010/2011, undertaken to meet the provisions of Regulation 812/2004 in OTM (Midwater Otter Trawl) small pelagic, PTM (Pelagic Pair Trawl) small and large pelagic fisheries, indicated no cetacean bycatch. This was based on a total of 151 monitoring days at sea carried out both as part of the dedicated independent observer programme and Data Collection Framework on pelagic trawlers. While most coverage was on pelagic vessels, five days were observed on demersal gillnets (Cosgrove, 2011). During 1998/99 cetacean bycatch monitoring programmes in the pelagic trawl fishery for Albacore tuna reported 145 cetaceans caught in approximately 300 trawl hauls (Anon, 2000). Since these trials BIM monitoring of the albacore fishery in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 has reported no cetacean by-catch. The reduction in by-catch has been attributed to continued refinement and greater experience of the fishing method by vessel operators (DEHLG, 2009; ICES, 2012a). Grey seal population trends in Ireland are stable or increasing. On this basis the occasional interaction with fishing is not considered to be detrimental to the population (NPWS, 2007). Indirect effects: Although difficult to measure, competition for prey species between commercial fisheries and marine mammals may have negative impacts on foraging success in cetaceans with possible consequences for reproductive fitness (Santos and Pierce, 2003; MacLeod et al., 2007). While information on the diet of marine mammals in Ireland is relatively sparse some commercial fish have been shown to be important to a number a species. For instance, Herring and the non commercial Trisopterus species have been shown to be particularly important dietary components of Harbour porpoises, (DEHLG, 2009), as well as sandeel and whiting during periods of low herring biomass (Santos and Pierce, 2003). A summary of prey composition for marine mammals in Irish waters can be found at http://www.npws.ie/publications/speciesactionplans/2009_Cetaceans_CP.pdf.

Direct extraction of individuals by fishing may have adverse effects on commercial fish population and community structure. By selectively removing larger and older individuals, fishing can change the size and age distribution of stocks. If sustainably managed, however, fishing can increase the productivity of stocks, as intraspecific competition is reduced. Unsustainable fishing can reduce the size distribution of the populations to levels where the average size is smaller than the size that would produce maximum yield per recruit (growth overfishing). Fishing at unsustainable levels can also deplete mature adult numbers i.e. the spawning stock biomass to levels where the stock no longer has the reproductive capacity to replenish itself (recruitment overfishing). In the Celtic Sea (ICES subdivisions VI and VII), a strong reduction of overall fishing mortality has occurred in the last 10 years and F is now ≤MSY for the majority of stocks (ICES, 2012; Marine Institute, 2012). For many stocks, there has also been an increase in spawning stock biomass to acceptable levels (ie > MSY Btrigger). While a strong improvement in the current status of fish stocks in Irish marine waters is apparent, there are still some severely depleted and/or overfished stocks in the assessment area, such as cod, whiting and sole in the Irish Sea (VIIa) and cod and whiting in the west of Scotland (VIa) (ICES, 2012). The widely distributed stocks of albacore tuna and spurdog are also considered depleted, while the pelagic stocks NEA mackerel, western horse mackerel and north-west Herring (VIa-S-VIIbc) are currently exploited at unsustainable levels (ICES, 2012).

Functional units of Nephrops norvegicus are commercially exploited around Ireland including in the Irish Sea (FU 15), the west of Ireland (FU16-17) and the Celtic Sea (FU19, 20-22). Harvest rates for each functional unit are assessed in relation to Fmsy using absolute abundance estimates from underwater video surveys. Fishing morality has decreased for most units and is now at or below MSY for all FUs (where Fmsy is defined and video surveys exist) with the exception of FU15 which was fished just above Fmsy in 2011. Biomass are above reference points where known. Where biomass trends are assessed, biomass is either stable or increasing with the exception of FU17, Aran grounds west of Ireland, where a decrease in biomass has been noted. For most stocks (except for the Porcupine Bank) burrow densities are moderate or high based on the ICES criteria and there are no specific concerns about the biomass levels. Other population and fisheries indicators such as size structure, sex ratio, maturity, mean weight in landings/catches, discard rates etc. are generally stable (except for the Porcupine Bank FU16). Stock status of scallops is unknown, but effort and landings on offshore scallop stocks in the Celtic Sea, South Irish Sea have increased between 2006 and 2011. Catch rate (as a biomass index, 1995-2011) is increasing and size and age structure is stable. Research surveys in 2001-2005 showed that biomass was stable. Lobster stocks are assessed using nominal and standardised catch rates (as indices of biomass) and egg per recruit models. Recent catch rates are unknown. Egg production is 5.7% of unexploited levels and below the precautionary 10% limit reference point. The exploitation and status of edible crab stocks around Ireland is assessed based on catch rates (landings per unit effort - LPUE). Landings and effort in offshore waters in the Malin Shelf have decreased since 2009. LPUE declined in the early 1990s following development of the offshore fishery but were stable between 1995-2009.

Non related GES component

Moderate

Moderate

Moderate

Non related GES component

Non related GES component

Non related GES component

Non related GES component

Non related GES component

Increasing

Stable

Decreasing

Stable

Unknown_NotAssessed

Unknown_NotAssessed

Unknown_NotAssessed

Unknown_NotAssessed

Unknown_NotAssessed

Unknown_NotAssessed

Unknown_NotAssessed

Unknown_NotAssessed

Unknown_NotAssessed

Unknown_NotAssessed

Commercial fisheries. Trends and spatial distribution discussed previously.

Commercial fisheries. Trends and spatial distribution discussed previously.

Commercial fisheries. Trends and spatial distribution discussed previously.

Commercial fisheries. Trends and spatial distribution discussed previously.

Commercial fisheries. Trends and spatial distribution discussed previously.

Commercial fisheries. Trends and spatial distribution discussed previously.

Commercial fisheries. Trends and spatial distribution discussed previously.

Commercial fisheries. Trends and spatial distribution discussed previously.

Commercial fisheries. Trends and spatial distribution discussed previously.

Commercial fisheries. Trends and spatial distribution discussed previously.

Commercial fisheries. Trends and spatial distribution discussed previously.

• UsesActivitiesOther
• Wild fisheries

• UsesActivitiesOther
• Wild fisheries

• UsesActivitiesOther
• Wild fisheries

• UsesActivitiesOther
• Wild fisheries

• UsesActivitiesOther
• Wild fisheries

• UsesActivitiesOther
• Wild fisheries

• UsesActivitiesOther
• Wild fisheries

• UsesActivitiesOther
• Wild fisheries

• UsesActivitiesOther
• Wild fisheries

• UsesActivitiesOther
• Wild fisheries

• UsesActivitiesOther
• Wild fisheries

There is a lack of knowledge on <15m vessel activities which do not report VMS data. There are very few data on pressures and impacts on habitats and their associated communities, functional groups such as marine mammals and seabirds and non commercial fish species.

There is a lack of knowledge on <15m vessel activities which do not report VMS data. There are very few data on pressures and impacts on habitats and their associated communities, functional groups such as marine mammals and seabirds and non commercial fish species.

There is a lack of knowledge on <15m vessel activities which do not report VMS data. There are very few data on pressures and impacts on habitats and their associated communities, functional groups such as marine mammals and seabirds and non commercial fish species.

There is a lack of knowledge on <15m vessel activities which do not report VMS data. There are very few data on pressures and impacts on habitats and their associated communities, functional groups such as marine mammals and seabirds and non commercial fish species.

There is a lack of knowledge on <15m vessel activities which do not report VMS data. There are very few data on pressures and impacts on habitats and their associated communities, functional groups such as marine mammals and seabirds and non commercial fish species.

There is a lack of knowledge on <15m vessel activities which do not report VMS data. There are very few data on pressures and impacts on habitats and their associated communities, functional groups such as marine mammals and seabirds and non commercial fish species.

There is a lack of knowledge on <15m vessel activities which do not report VMS data. There are very few data on pressures and impacts on habitats and their associated communities, functional groups such as marine mammals and seabirds and non commercial fish species.

There is a lack of knowledge on <15m vessel activities which do not report VMS data. There are very few data on pressures and impacts on habitats and their associated communities, functional groups such as marine mammals and seabirds and non commercial fish species.

There is a lack of knowledge on <15m vessel activities which do not report VMS data. There are very few data on pressures and impacts on habitats and their associated communities, functional groups such as marine mammals and seabirds and non commercial fish species.

There is a lack of knowledge on <15m vessel activities which do not report VMS data. There are very few data on pressures and impacts on habitats and their associated communities, functional groups such as marine mammals and seabirds and non commercial fish species.

There is a lack of knowledge on <15m vessel activities which do not report VMS data. There are very few data on pressures and impacts on habitats and their associated communities, functional groups such as marine mammals and seabirds and non commercial fish species.