Shallow, seabed environments (<100 m), whether sediments or reefal habitat, provide a foundation for a range of vegetative and animal taxa that provide significant ecosystem services. These include seagrasses, kelp and animal forests dominated by sponges, corals and other cnidarians that house biodiversity, contribute to nutrient cycling as well as providing food and refuge for a myriad of associated taxa, including commercially and recreationally exploited fishes. These highly productive shallow waters are also the optimal anchoring depths for merchant vessels (passenger and cargo ships) and mooring infrastructure. As moored or anchored vessels swing with shifting winds and tides, the associated chains scour the seafloor, shifting sediment as well as damaging or removing flora and fauna. As examples, these activities are known to denude areas of seagrasses and crush corals. The construction of infrastructure associated with boating such as piers or jetties is another rarely considered agent of disturbance on marine habitats. Sediment mixing and overturn by vessel anchoring and mooring is comparable to benthic trawling, a well-known driver of seafloor habitat destruction.The environmental impacts of commonplace ship anchoring and mooring practices is mostly unregulated globally (e.g., under International Maritime Office’s Marine Environment Protection Committee). The scale of these activities is global and predicted to grow substantially yet, their impact has remained largely unquantified and unseen. Shipping represents the backbone to the Blue Economy as more than 90% of the worlds’ trade by volume traverses oceans in the hulls of vessels. A global fleet approaching 100,000 vessels underscores the scale of disturbance and global trade volumes are expected to double in the upcoming decade. It is harder to estimate the number of recreational vessels, but in the US alone numbers approach 12 million. A high proportion of these vessels sit at moorings for extended periods, collectively damaging extensive areas of the seabed. Recent research has begun to disentangle some of the effects of anchoring and mooring activities, but significant unknowns remain. Some marine habitats are poorly represented in the anchor scour literature, as are many regions, particularly at high latitudes. Rates of recovery following damage and broader impacts on marine assemblages remain virtually unstudied. The consequences of vessel anchoring include habitat destruction, loss of ecosystem functions (e.g., carbon storage) and resuspension of sediments, likely causing carbon release and remobilisation of buried contaminants. These impacts likely have direct and indirect feedbacks on climate resilience and the health of the shallow marine environment that underpins the viability of a sustainable blue economy.The aim of this Research Topic is to bring together studies that fill gaps in our understanding of the impacts of anchoring and mooring and provide marine resource managers with approaches to mitigate these effects. We welcome contributions from understudied regions of the world and marine habitats that have been poorly represented in the anchor scour literature. Studies that have sought to mitigate impacts of anchor and mooring damage would be particularly appreciated. It is vital that we identify how marine activities are interacting with these environments and we manage them sustainably wherever possible to support ocean health and conserve life under water.
Shallow, seabed environments (<100 m), whether sediments or reefal habitat, provide a foundation for a range of vegetative and animal taxa that provide significant ecosystem services. These include seagrasses, kelp and animal forests dominated by sponges, corals and other cnidarians that house biodiversity, contribute to nutrient cycling as well as providing food and refuge for a myriad of associated taxa, including commercially and recreationally exploited fishes. These highly productive shallow waters are also the optimal anchoring depths for merchant vessels (passenger and cargo ships) and mooring infrastructure. As moored or anchored vessels swing with shifting winds and tides, the associated chains scour the seafloor, shifting sediment as well as damaging or removing flora and fauna. As examples, these activities are known to denude areas of seagrasses and crush corals. The construction of infrastructure associated with boating such as piers or jetties is another rarely considered agent of disturbance on marine habitats. Sediment mixing and overturn by vessel anchoring and mooring is comparable to benthic trawling, a well-known driver of seafloor habitat destruction.The environmental impacts of commonplace ship anchoring and mooring practices is mostly unregulated globally (e.g., under International Maritime Office’s Marine Environment Protection Committee). The scale of these activities is global and predicted to grow substantially yet, their impact has remained largely unquantified and unseen. Shipping represents the backbone to the Blue Economy as more than 90% of the worlds’ trade by volume traverses oceans in the hulls of vessels. A global fleet approaching 100,000 vessels underscores the scale of disturbance and global trade volumes are expected to double in the upcoming decade. It is harder to estimate the number of recreational vessels, but in the US alone numbers approach 12 million. A high proportion of these vessels sit at moorings for extended periods, collectively damaging extensive areas of the seabed. Recent research has begun to disentangle some of the effects of anchoring and mooring activities, but significant unknowns remain. Some marine habitats are poorly represented in the anchor scour literature, as are many regions, particularly at high latitudes. Rates of recovery following damage and broader impacts on marine assemblages remain virtually unstudied. The consequences of vessel anchoring include habitat destruction, loss of ecosystem functions (e.g., carbon storage) and resuspension of sediments, likely causing carbon release and remobilisation of buried contaminants. These impacts likely have direct and indirect feedbacks on climate resilience and the health of the shallow marine environment that underpins the viability of a sustainable blue economy.The aim of this Research Topic is to bring together studies that fill gaps in our understanding of the impacts of anchoring and mooring and provide marine resource managers with approaches to mitigate these effects. We welcome contributions from understudied regions of the world and marine habitats that have been poorly represented in the anchor scour literature. Studies that have sought to mitigate impacts of anchor and mooring damage would be particularly appreciated. It is vital that we identify how marine activities are interacting with these environments and we manage them sustainably wherever possible to support ocean health and conserve life under water.