Effects of bottom fishing on the benthic megafauna of Georges Bank
This study addresses ongoing concerns ever the effects of mobile fishing gear on benthic communities. Using side-scan sonar, bottom photographs and fishing records, we identified a set of disturbed and undisturbed sites on the gravel pavement area of northern Georges Bank in the northwest Atlantic....
Published in: | Marine Ecology Progress Series |
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1997
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Online Access: | https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/gsofacpubs/959 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps155159 |
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ftunivrhodeislan:oai:digitalcommons.uri.edu:gsofacpubs-1928 2023-10-09T21:54:40+02:00 Effects of bottom fishing on the benthic megafauna of Georges Bank Collie, Jeremy S. Escanero, Galo A. A. Valentine, Page C. 1997-08-28T07:00:00Z https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/gsofacpubs/959 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps155159 unknown DigitalCommons@URI https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/gsofacpubs/959 doi:10.3354/meps155159 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps155159 Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications Benthic communities Fishing impacts Habitat disturbance Scallop dredging text 1997 ftunivrhodeislan https://doi.org/10.3354/meps155159 2023-09-11T18:07:44Z This study addresses ongoing concerns ever the effects of mobile fishing gear on benthic communities. Using side-scan sonar, bottom photographs and fishing records, we identified a set of disturbed and undisturbed sites on the gravel pavement area of northern Georges Bank in the northwest Atlantic. Replicate samples of the megofauna were collected with a 1 m Naturalists' dredge on 2 cruises in 1994. Compared with the disturbed sites, the undisturbed sites had higher numbers of organisms, biomass, species richness and species diversity; evenness was higher at the disturbed sites. Undisturbed sites were characterized by an abundance of bushy epifaunal taxa (bryozoans, hydroids, worm tubes) that provide a complex habitat for shrimps, polychaetes, brittle stars, mussels and small fish. Disturbed sites were dominated by larger, hard-shelled molluscs, and scavenging crabs and echinoderms. Many of the megafaunal species in our samples have also been identified in stomach contents of demersal fish on Georges Bank; the abundances of at feast some of these species were reduced at the disturbed sites. Text Northwest Atlantic University of Rhode Island: DigitalCommons@URI Marine Ecology Progress Series 155 159 172 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Rhode Island: DigitalCommons@URI |
op_collection_id |
ftunivrhodeislan |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Benthic communities Fishing impacts Habitat disturbance Scallop dredging |
spellingShingle |
Benthic communities Fishing impacts Habitat disturbance Scallop dredging Collie, Jeremy S. Escanero, Galo A. A. Valentine, Page C. Effects of bottom fishing on the benthic megafauna of Georges Bank |
topic_facet |
Benthic communities Fishing impacts Habitat disturbance Scallop dredging |
description |
This study addresses ongoing concerns ever the effects of mobile fishing gear on benthic communities. Using side-scan sonar, bottom photographs and fishing records, we identified a set of disturbed and undisturbed sites on the gravel pavement area of northern Georges Bank in the northwest Atlantic. Replicate samples of the megofauna were collected with a 1 m Naturalists' dredge on 2 cruises in 1994. Compared with the disturbed sites, the undisturbed sites had higher numbers of organisms, biomass, species richness and species diversity; evenness was higher at the disturbed sites. Undisturbed sites were characterized by an abundance of bushy epifaunal taxa (bryozoans, hydroids, worm tubes) that provide a complex habitat for shrimps, polychaetes, brittle stars, mussels and small fish. Disturbed sites were dominated by larger, hard-shelled molluscs, and scavenging crabs and echinoderms. Many of the megafaunal species in our samples have also been identified in stomach contents of demersal fish on Georges Bank; the abundances of at feast some of these species were reduced at the disturbed sites. |
format |
Text |
author |
Collie, Jeremy S. Escanero, Galo A. A. Valentine, Page C. |
author_facet |
Collie, Jeremy S. Escanero, Galo A. A. Valentine, Page C. |
author_sort |
Collie, Jeremy S. |
title |
Effects of bottom fishing on the benthic megafauna of Georges Bank |
title_short |
Effects of bottom fishing on the benthic megafauna of Georges Bank |
title_full |
Effects of bottom fishing on the benthic megafauna of Georges Bank |
title_fullStr |
Effects of bottom fishing on the benthic megafauna of Georges Bank |
title_full_unstemmed |
Effects of bottom fishing on the benthic megafauna of Georges Bank |
title_sort |
effects of bottom fishing on the benthic megafauna of georges bank |
publisher |
DigitalCommons@URI |
publishDate |
1997 |
url |
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/gsofacpubs/959 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps155159 |
genre |
Northwest Atlantic |
genre_facet |
Northwest Atlantic |
op_source |
Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications |
op_relation |
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/gsofacpubs/959 doi:10.3354/meps155159 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps155159 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3354/meps155159 |
container_title |
Marine Ecology Progress Series |
container_volume |
155 |
container_start_page |
159 |
op_container_end_page |
172 |
_version_ |
1779318345867198464 |