Problem Statement:
Specific impacts on Sanctuary resources from fishing activities are not well understood. Some of the issues related to fishing or harvesting activities to be explored by the working groups include: 1) impacts on benthic habitats from bottom fishing, 2) impacts to trophic interactions from krill harvesting, 3) impacts from trampling and harvesting of invertebrates in the intertidal, 4) gear impacts on habitats and living resources from longlining, and 5) impacts on trophic levels from overfishing of bait fish such as sardines. Although GFNMS does not directly manage specific fisheries, it does have a mandate to protect the entire sanctuary ecosystem and the authority to manage human uses that impact Sanctuary resources. More...