WP1. Geophysical mapping of seabed substrates and habitats

Lead: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS)

The aims of this work package are

• to map the seabed in a focus area in the central part of Jammer Bay in high spatial resolution and precision, and with full spatial data coverage, in order to create a knowledge-base for analyses of the seabed impacts of mobile bottom contacting fishing gears.
• to map the seabed within the Jammer Bay with high spatial resolution and precision with a focus area exceeding 300 km² along the survey lines in the wider area in order to obtain a general assessment of the spatial distribution of seabed substrates and habitats.

WP2. Physical fisheries impacts on seabed habitats

Lead: DTU Aqua

The main objectives of this work packages are

• to provide spatial high-resolution fishing pressure data for all Danish and international fisheries with mobile bottom-contacting gears (beam trawl, Danish seine, fly-shooter, otter trawl) in Jammer Bay. The data will be used to calculate benthic state indicators and indicators of sediment mobilization, fuel use, carbon foot-prints and CO² emissions for the fisheries metièr.
• to assign landing weight and monetary value by gear type and target species, which will enable impact and resource harvest analyses, as well as spatial ecosystem-based trade-off analyses between the fisheries and specific areas and Benthic Broad Habitat Types (BBHTs).

WP3. Biological fisheries impacts on seabed habitats

Lead: DTU Aqua

The main activities in this work package are 

• in a gradient study, to use existing and new benthic faunal data from the Jammer Bay to analyse fisheries impacts on benthic faunal biodiversity and functional traits under natural environmental and hydrographic conditions.
• in beam trawl experiment, to investigate  the impacts in Danish waters. This includes a Before-After Control-Impact (BACI) experiment on sandy and mixed rocky substrates in the Jammer Bay to analyse the causal relations of the impacts on faunal biodiversity, functional traits, and depletion ratios. 
• further develop benthic indicators for assessment of Good Environmental State (GES) of seabed habitats in the Jammer Bay. This includes analyses of responsiveness of faunal seabed indicators for biodiversity and ecosystem functions to bottom trawling under the natural conditions of the Jammer Bay.

WP4. Fisheries resources and socio-economy

Lead: DTU Aqua

The activities in this work package are

• to investigate fisheries seabed habitat resources. Since 2005, cod and plaice landings from Jammer Bay have been highly variable in spite of increased quota shares. This includes analyses of changes in cod and plaice distribution and population dynamics in response to regional population trends and local changes of thermal habitats.
• to correlate fisheries seabed habitat derived value-chains, modes of operation and life forms correlated with quota and commercial landings. The linkages between fisheries will be analysed, including multiple measures, such as landing values, modes of operation, cultural life-modes, and economic value chains related to vessel nationality and size, gear type, target species, and use of seabed habitats in the wider Jammer Bay.
• to investigate habitat related by-catch of non-target fish and protected, endangered, and threatened species (PETS). Commercial fishers and scientists will collaboratively investigate the relationships between the spatial distribution of commercial fisheries, seabed habitat types, and protected, endangered, and threatened species in the Jammer Bay. Predictive spatial models will be developed to map the areas where bycatch risk is highest for each gear type. 

WP5. Synthesis for ecosystem-based management, dissemination and project management

Lead: DTU Aqua

The activities in this work package cover project management and dissemination as well as a synthesis of information required for ecosystem-based spatial management.

The data and model results generated in the other work packages will be integrated to inform model-based

• analyses of seabed provision of goods and services for each mode of fishery (i.e., nationality, vessel size, gear type and key target species) in the Jammer Bay.
• trade-off analyses of fisheries quota and income related to the environmental state and recoverability of specific Benthic Broad Habitat Types (BBHTs).
• trade-off scenarios of different configurations of spatial closures (i.e., total, gear specific) and correlations between each mode of fishery in the Jammer Bay.

These first generation results will support fisheries and environmental management in the Jammer Bay, as well as in Danish and EU waters for implementation of the EU Common Fisheries Policy, Marine Strategy Framework Directive, Habitats Directive, Birds Directive, and Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.

• JAMBAY EXECUTIVE REPORT: Mapping of seabed habitats and impacts of beam trawling and other demersal fisheries for spatial ecosystem-based management of the Jammer Bay
  Grete E. Dinesen, Verner B. Ernstsen, Ole R. Eigaard, Esther D. Beukhof, Josefine Egekvist, Anna Rindorf and Josianne G. Støttrup (eds.)

• JAMBAY WP1: Geophysical mapping of seabed substrates and habitats
  Lars Ø. Hansen, Mikkel S. Andersen, Niels Nørgaard-Pedersen, Nicklas Christensen, Zyad Al-Hamdani and Verner B. Ernstsen (eds.)

• JAMBAY WP2: Physical fisheries’ impacts on seabed habitats
  Ole R. Eigaard, Barry O’Neill, Asbjørn Christensen, Mikael van Deurs, and Grete E. Dinesen (eds.)

• JAMBAY WP4: Fisheries resources and socio-economy
  Grete E. Dinesen, Anna Rindorf, Josefine Egekvist, Ole R. Eigaard, and Josianne G. Støttrup (eds.)

The project is financed by The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) and The Danish Fisheries Agency (grant no. 33113-B-23-189).