Many species of deep-water corals and sponges are important structure forming species in deep-sea environments,
however not all coral and sponges meet the criteria associated with vulnerability. Here we review the
taxa living within the NAFO regulatory area (NRA) and provide literature supporting their consideration as
components of vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs). For the sponges, we present the first map of their location
in the NRA, as determined from fisheries bycatch information
