adverse negative impacts on these vulnerable habitats have been documented as result of bottom fishing buhlmortensen et al increasing pressures from human activities within arctic and subarctic waters poses additional risk to vmes and it is thus urgent to map the seafloor in these areas to facilitate a sustainable management of the vmes found there management entities like the food and agriculture organization of the united nations fao the convention for the protection of the marine environment of the northeast atlantic ospar and the north east atlantic fisheries commission neafc have published lists of vulnerable ecosystems