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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Fabrice StephensonORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).
© 2025 The Author(s). Bottom trawling threatens Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs). We evaluated historic benthic trawling impacts on 10 VME indicator taxa (e.g. cold-water corals) and estimates of VME distribution (based on the overlap of taxa abundance-based and richness-based indices) across New Zealand waters, using a dynamic Relative Benthic Status model, incorporating 30 years of fishing data, and taxon-specific depletion and recovery rates. The analysis was conducted at a national scale and within six ecologically relevant bioregional scales. We predicted severe, lasting impacts at bioregional levels, despite modest national-scale effects. All VME indicator taxa fell below an 80% 'good ecosystem state' threshold in at least one bioregion, with VMEs in three of six bioregions below this critical limit. Combined with limited observed recovery for these taxa 20–40 years post-fishing, these impacts likely represent Significant Adverse Impacts. By integrating high-resolution spatial predictions with long-term impact assessments at ecologically relevant scales, our approach provides a novel replicable framework for regional and global assessments, identifying pristine areas vital for conservation under agreements like the High Seas Treaty. This study is an important step towards sustainable fisheries management and marine biodiversity conservation, providing essential insights to guide policy decisions and protect the oceans' most vulnerable ecosystems from bottom trawling.
Author(s): Stephenson F, Zelli E, Bennion M, Rowden AA, Anderson OF, Clark MR, Tablada J, Hiddink JG, Kaikkonen L, Finucci B, Tracey DM, Ellis JI, Pilditch C, Holland LP, Geange SW
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Journal of Environmental Management
Year: 2025
Volume: 395
Print publication date: 01/12/2025
Online publication date: 21/10/2025
Acceptance date: 14/10/2025
Date deposited: 03/11/2025
ISSN (print): 0301-4797
ISSN (electronic): 1095-8630
Publisher: Academic Press
URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127672
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127672
Data Access Statement: The authors do not have permission to share data.
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