High-resolution mapping of European fishing pressure on the benthic habitats

For the first time, scientists have created high-resolution maps of fishing pressure in the North-east Atlantic, Mediterranean and Turkish waters. These maps provide a common knowledge base to all stakeholders and are needed for an ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAFM). The level of detail goes beyond that of previous information based solely on fishermen's logbooks that is not well suited for quantitative estimation of seafloor impact (swept area and impact severity) of the different gears and trips. The BENTHIS team has developed a method to overcome this information deficiency of official statistics.