Stable isotopes reveal the effect of trawl fisheries on the diet of commercially exploited species

• Published in: Scientific Reports
• Main Authors: Hinz, Hilmar, Moranta, Joan, Balestrini, Stephen, Sciberras, Marija, Pantin, J.R., Monnington, James, Zalewski, Alex, Kaiser, M.J., Sköld, Mattias, Jonsson, Patrik, Bastardie, Francois, Hiddink, Jan Geert
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: Ecosystem ecology; Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares; Pesquerías; Food webs; Ichthyology; Marine biology; Stable isotope analysis; Fishes; Isotopes; Food availability; Ocean floor; Bottom trawling; Kattegat; Norway; North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10508/11063; http://hdl.handle.net/10261/317687; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-06379-6

Bottom trawling can change food availability for benthivorous demersal species by (i) changing benthic prey composition through physical seabed impacts and (ii) by removing overall benthic consumer biomass increasing the net availability of benthic prey for remaining individuals. Thus trawling may b...