Participatory approaches (interviews and surveys) will be conducted with local fishers using bottom-contacting gear (e.g., beam-trawl, bottom longline) to gather Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) on the spatial and historical occurrence of sponge and coral species and habitats. This information will be integrated with Conventional Scientific Knowledge (CSK) obtained through a literature review, bycatch data from multi-annual bottom-trawl surveys, and integrative taxonomic analysis of bycatch samples collected during surveys and by participating fishers. The combined knowledge will be translated into management-support tools, such as identification guides, distribution maps, and an online database, and transferred to key end-users to inform the selection of high-biodiversity areas for protection and support the implementation of regional and (inter)national conservation frameworks. Training activities will also be developed to capacitate local fishers and fisheries observers in the identification and reporting of VME-indicator species, ensuring long-term impact and sustainability.

DEEPbaseline is an interdisciplinary project aimed at developing a framework for the co-creation of a knowledge baseline on the diversity and distribution of deep-sea sponge and coral vulnerable species and ecosystems of the continental shelf and upper slope of mainland Portugal. DEEPbaseline brings together scientists from four partner institutions (CIIMAR, IPMA, CESAM and Okeanos), local fishing communities and associations, fisheries managers, and the wider society to foster awareness and advance conservation actions towards their sustainability.