SIOFA Vulnerable marine ecosystems mapping

SIOFA Conservation and Management Measures (CMM) 2019/01 directs the Scientific Committee (SC) to provide maps of where vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) are known to occur, or likely to occur, in the Agreement Area. The Meeting of the Parties shall act on the advice of the SC in regards with the VME habitat mapping and update its interim bottom fisheries measures.
The work is desktop based and will involve the collection of all relevant data and using modelling methods to provide maps of VME occurrence, or predicted occurrence. The consultants shall have regular contact with the Scientific Committee, including the PAEWG, to providing ongoing results, review of approaches and guidance.
The SIOFA VME indicator taxa (Annex 1) will be used as the definition of VMEs.