Broad-scale maps exist for some taxa such as fish (e.g., Froese and Pauly, 2013), but coverage is generally poor for seamounts. Seamounts are visited by large pelagic vertebrates like tunas, billfishes, sharks, marine mammals, turtles, and seabirds (see Pitcher et al., 2007), and are important spawning areas for deep-water fishes (Clark, 2008). Fisheries data are often available at national or regional scales, and will likely be useful for evaluating this criterion. This criterion defines crucial habitats for endangered, threatened or declining species, or areas with significant assemblages

of such species; conservation of these habitats supports restoration or recovery of threatened species (CBD, 2009a). The primary data source for evaluating this criterion is the IUCN Red List (http://www.iucnredlist.org/), OSI-744 with additional data provided by national lists (e.g., Freeman et al., 2010 for New Zealand species). While these lists often Ribociclib supplier do not include location information, they serve to identify records in global or national databases that contain geo-referenced species records (e.g., OBIS www.iobis.org, Seamounts Online seamounts.sdsc.edu/). This criterion defines areas that contain a relatively high proportion of sensitive habitats, biotopes or species that are functionally fragile or with slow recovery (CBD, 2009a). Maps of vulnerable species

and habitats are Cediranib (AZD2171) the primary data for evaluating this criterion. Cold-water corals are particularly fragile and recover very slowly, and maps exist that either show the known distribution of such corals (Rogers et al., 2007), or the distribution of suitable coral habitat predicted by models (e.g., Davies and Guinotte, 2011 and Yesson et al., 2012). Other data sources include FAO or RFMO records of taxa that may characterise Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs) (which often include corals as defining species) (FAO, 2013), and the sensitivity of corals to aragonite saturation depth (e.g., Tittensor et al., 2010). Habitat

suitability models for corals have been used with specific reference to seamounts (Tittensor et al., 2009) and for assessments of the vulnerability of seamounts to fishing impacts (Clark and Tittensor, 2010). This criterion defines areas containing species, populations or communities with comparatively higher productivity (CBD, 2009a). Oceanographic conditions, depth, and topography can play important roles in determining the location and magnitude of productivity. Areas of current mixing (e.g., frontal zones) and upwelling can increase surface productivity (Rivas, 2006), as can particular topographic features that may alter circulation characteristics locally, trap plankton, and attract predators (e.g., Genin and Dower, 2007, Kaschner, 2007 and Thompson, 2007).