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ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil Advance Access published online on April 29, 2008
ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil, doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsn073
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Crown Copyright © 2008 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Published by Oxford Journals. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Spatio-temporal patterns of fishing pressure on UK marine landscapes, and their implications for spatial planning and management

Vanessa Stelzenmüller1, Stuart I. Rogers1 and Craig M. Mills2

1 Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Pakefield Road, Lowestoft NR33 OHT, UK
2 WCMC–UNEP, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK

Correspondence to V. Stelzenmüller: tel: +44 1502 527779; fax: +44 1502 513865; e-mail: vanessa.stelzenmuller{at}cefas.co.uk

Stelzenmüller, V., Rogers, S. I., and Mills, C. M. 2008. Spatio-temporal patterns of fishing pressure on UK marine landscapes, and their implications for spatial planning and management. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65.

The spatio-temporal distribution of fishing pressure on marine landscapes in offshore UK (England and Wales) waters is assessed, based on a time-series of fishing vessel monitoring system (VMS) data for UK and foreign fleets deploying beam and otter trawls, and scallop dredges. The results reveal that marine landscapes with coarse or mixed sediments and weak or moderate tide stress are heavily fished. Marine landscapes experienced different intensities of fishing pressure depending on their spatial location in UK offshore waters and the regional heterogeneity of landscape types. Spatial patterns of fishing pressure vary by region, but within regions, patches of high fishing pressure remain centred at the same locations. When designing marine management plans, it is important to take account of the spatial extent and patchiness of fishing activity, and the consistency with which areas are fished in the same region from year to year. Descriptions of the spatial distribution of fishing pressures will become more meaningful at a local level if they also reflect the sensitivity of the habitats to those pressures. The further development of such sensitivity analyses, using life-history traits or measures of benthic production, is now becoming a priority.

Keywords: GIS, marine spatial planning, semi-variogram, spatial autocorrelation, VMS

Received 12 November 2007; accepted 18 March 2008.


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