An updated glossary of terms relevant to the management of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs) in the CCAMLR Area

In 2009 SC-CCAMLR identified a list of tasks to be considered intersessionally to progress a framework to manage the risk that bottom fishing in the CCAMLR Area may produce significant adverse impacts on certain benthic habitats, termed Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs). One of the identified intersessional tasks was to produce a glossary of terms relevant to the management of VMEs (SC-CAMLR XXVIII, paragraph 4.251(iii)). In 2010 WG-EMM discussed a proposed VME glossary (WG-EMM-10/29) and recommended adoption of six key terms. Other VME relevant terms were also discussed but referred to WG-FSA (WG-EMM 2010, paragraph 3.2-3.3). This paper updates the previous VME glossary to reflect the definitions agreed by WG-EMM and proposes definitions for additional terms consistent with the previous advice within CCAMLR and new advice from WG-EMM. A conceptual diagram is also provided to illustrate the relationships between the terms and the means by which terms might be combined quantitatively to inform the evaluation of fishing impacts on VMEs.