Inventory and mapping of habitats and fisheries footprint off “Banco de La Concepción” seamount (Canary Islands). Criteria analysis for the marine protected area establishment

• Main Authors: Martín-Sosa, P. (Pablo), González-Porto, M. (Marcos), Almón, B. (Bruno), Acosta-Díaz, C. (Carolina), Arrese-González, B. (Beatriz), Falcón, J.M. (Jesús), Pascual-Fernández, J.J. (José Jaime), Bartolomé-Baraza, A. (Aurora), González-Jiménez, J. (José), Barreiro-Jueguen, S. (Santiago), Sarralde-Vizuete, R. (Roberto), González-Irusta, J.M. (José Manuel), Brito, A. (Alberto), Jiménez, S. (Sebastián)
• Format: Still Image
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Centro Oceanográfico de Canarias 2014
• Subjects: Banco de La Concepción; montes submarinos; ecosistemas marinos; áreas marinas protegidas; biodiversidad marina; hidrografía; geomorfología; hábitats sensibles; comunidades bentopelágicas; comunidades endobentónicas; comunidades epibentónicas; biocenosis; arrecifes; conservación; pesquerías; pesquería artesanal; Directiva Hábitats; idoneidad de hábitats; modelización de comunidades e indicadores ecológicos; gobernanza; Seamounts; marine ecosystems; marine protected areas; biodiversity; hydrography; geomorphology; sensitive habitats; endobenthic communities; benthopelagic communities; epibenthic communities; reefs; conservation; artisanal fisheries; habitat suitability; community and ecologic indicators modelling; gobernance; Lophelia pertusa
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10508/2558

Banco de La Concepción is one of the areas chosen to be depicted in the frame of INDEMARES project. It is located at 71 km to the NE of Lanzarote. The main aim of the project was to end up with an inventory and mapping of habitats and fisheries footprint off the study area, information which would let the administrations to establish a new Natura 2000 area, trying to reconcile protection of biodiversity with artisanal local economic activities. Methodology approach complies with a multidisciplinary perspective, having described the area from geological, oceanographic, biological and fisheries points of view. Several surveys have taken place since 2009 to 2013 at Banco de La Concepción waters. Data from VMS (Vessel Monitoring System) were used, combined with interviews to users (fishers), to describe the fishery uses in the area. Ten different types of communities have been identified as “Habitat 1170, Reefs”, following Annex 1 from Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/CEE) from European Union. All of them have three dimensional structure and species with certain size turning these areas into important containers of biodiversity and hot spots for shelter. About protected species by Habitats Directive, Centrostephanus longispinus (Philippi, 1845) belongs to Annex IV. Neophryssospongia nolitangere (Schmidt, 1870) is included in the Canary Islands Catalog of Protected Species as a vulnerable species. Within the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, we can find several fishes as endangered species, while in the area can also be found several vulnerable species, special importance have several elasmobranchs species. Subsequent studies about deep water white corals Lophelia pertusa (Linnaeus, 1758) and Madrepora oculata Linnaeus, 1758, present in the study area, could conclude with these species inclusion in the list. Fishery activities identified during this study with a higher degree of fishing intensity (tuna fishing with pole lines and surface longlines for ...