On 13-14 November 2014, deep-sea experts from academia, industry and NGO sectors are meeting at the University of Lisbon for the final meeting of the EMB Working Group Deep Seas. The working group is assessing European and national investment in deep-sea research together with identifying future needs, gaps and priorities that will drive a new era of discovery and understanding of this vast, largely unknown ecosystem into the next decade. Such fundamental knowledge is also crucial for a growing deep-sea user community to underpin ecosystem-based management of deep sea resources in light of emerging commercial activities such as deep sea mining. In a round-table discussion, stakeholders assessed the need to balance blue growth with sustainability in the deep sea, noting the crucial role of deep-sea research as the evidence base for establishing baselines, monitoring impact and informing sustainability goals for the deep ocean and high seas. This interdisciplinary working group will deliver a EMB position paper in 2015 with recommendations for developing a deep-sea research strategy for Europe in the context of societal challenges and policy needs.
Picture features (top row, left to right): Marina Cunha (University of Aveiro), Pierre-Marie Sarradin (Ifremer), Henry Ruhl (NOC, Southampton), Bruno Sommer Ferreira (Biotrend), Fernando Barriga (University of Lisbon), Alf Håkon Hoel (IMR), Ralph Spickerman (UK Seabed Resources), Sybille van den Hove (MEDIAN SCP), Gui Menezes (University of the Azores), Niall McDonough (EMB), (bottom row left to right): Helena Vieira (University of Lisbon), Colin Devey (GEOMAR), Alex Rogers (University of Oxford), Kate Larkin (EMB), Monica Verbeek (Seas at Risk), Mário Ruivo (FCT).