EMFF Benthic Impacts Decision Support Tool User Manual Version 4.0.

Abstract

Bottom trawl fisheries impact sedimentary habitats to various degrees. It is difficult to determine whether a fishery is causing serious or irreversible harm to a habitat objectively. Marine protected areas are areas that protect a range of nationally important, rare or threatened habitats and species. The Benthic Impacts Tool is a decision support tool and aims to aid the user (typically a regulator) in quantifying the impact of bottom towed fishing activity on sedimentary habitats. The BIT has also been designed to inform adaptive marine protected area management and therefore allows the user to consider various scenarios and their potential impacts on the Relative Benthic Status (from spatial closures, to modified gear types).