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• The deep seas and international waters outside of EEZs (Exclusive Economic Zones) are being increasingly fished; species such as the orange roughy, tuna, and shark are three major targets in these areas. Many such organisms are especially vulnerable to overfishing due to their long reproductive cycles; orange roughy, for example, have been found to live up to 240 years. Much of deep sea life is localized to specific areas called "hot spots," centered around particular conditions including temperature, salinity, and seamounts (mountains submerged in the ocean). This makes deep sea creatures particularly vulnerable to climate change. Also, plankton is the basic food source for many of these creatures, including fish larvae. Plankton must follow ocean currents, and is dependent on certain atmospheric conditions.  It has already been found that increasing ocean temperatures decrease plankton levels through ENSO cycle studies. Combined with the changes in current and composition mentioned earlier, deep water fishing will certainly be threatened by climate change. The uncertainly lies in the timescale and magnitude of climate change, and we need to closely monitor this in order to change specific and general strategies for maintaining deep water fish stocks.

• We support efforts to mitigate human impact on climate change, but recognize that it is outside the scope of the project.

12 Eva - solution outline alternative

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