Recommendations for management

• Achieving effective marine protection in the Skagerrak depends on sufficient coverage of areas that limit or remove the negative ecosystem effects of fisheries and protect against pressures from other human activities.
• The Skagerrak contains vulnerable marine ecosystems and threatened nature types. To better incorporate protection of biodiversity throughout habitats and nature types, protection must be both horizontally wide and vertically deep and target biodiversity and important ecosystem services.
• MPA network design and marine spatial planning in the Skagerrak need to consider both coastal and offshore marine areas, where representativity, biodiversity, population connectivity and carbon sinks are considered.
• Taking human pressures and socio-economic interests into account, a holistic design of an effective MPA network in Skagerrak will benefit from an international scientific advisory committee to the Nordic Council.