WEBVTT

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Deep-sea fishing in the Azores
region is largely undertaken by

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small-scale fishermen using
deep longlines.

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Trolling is banned in the region.
This is might be a reason why

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we are actually seeing such a
diversity in some of these

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areas. There's this term that
we've been using a lot in the

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scientific community which are
"vulnerable marine ecosystems"

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and these are typically
ecosystems that are formed by

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both sponges and corals. These
ecosystems are very important

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because they provide a number
of goods and services to the

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deep-sea environment as a whole
and ultimately to us humans and

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so some of these 3D structures
provide both habitat, nursing

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and rearing areas for a number of
other species both crustaceans

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and even commercial fish
species and so these are very

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important in terms of the
overall ecosystem function in

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the deep sea.

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A lot of these species
especially corals and sponges

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are thought to be very slow
growing and long living which

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really makes them particularly
vulnerable to human impacts.

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Specially to bottom fisheries
of course.