A Pictorial Guide to the Epibenthic Megafauna of Orphan Knoll (northwest Atlantic) Identified from In Situ Benthic Video Footage

• Main Authors: Wudrick, Alannah, Beazley, Lindsay, Culwick, Timothy, Goodwin, Claire, Cárdenas, Paco, Xavier, Joana, Kenchington, Ellen
• Format: Report
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Photoguide; Epibentic megafauna; North West Atlantic; European Union; Horizon 2020; Deep-sea Sponge Grounds Ecosystems of the North Atlantic: An integrated approach towards their preservation and sustainable exploitation; SponGES; Grant Agreement No 678760; Canada; Hudson; Le Dôme; Orphan Knoll; The Knoll; Newfoundland; North Atlantic; Northwest Atlantic
• Online Access: https://zenodo.org/record/3835865; https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3835865

ABSTRACT. In 2010, Fisheries and Oceans Canada led a multidisciplinary oceanographic research mission onboard the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Hudson to the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization Regulatory Area to collect benthic imagery and geological data in support of the identification of vulnerable marine ecosystems. Using the remotely operated vehicle ROPOS, six benthic video transects were collected on Orphan Knoll, a submerged circular continental fragment located 550 km northeast of St. John’s, Newfoundland. High-resolution video footage, digital still images, and specimen samples were collected between 1655 and 3004 m depth across the flanks and plateau of the knoll and Orphan Seamount. In 2007, the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization implemented a ~15,800 km2 closure over Orphan Knoll to restrict the use of bottom- tending fishing gear in accordance with United Nations General Assembly Resolution 61/105. However, at the time, its benthic communities and the presence of vulnerable marine ecosystems had not been fully assessed. Here we present a pictorial guide to the epibenthic megafauna enumerated and taxonomically identified from five ROPOS transects collected on Orphan Knoll and Orphan Seamount. The purpose of this report is to provide a visual representation and taxonomic nomenclature scheme of the epibenthic megafauna of Orphan Knoll for use in future monitoring of the benthic communities of this unique topographic feature. RÉSUMÉ. En 2010, Pêches et Océans Canada a mené une mission de recherche océanographique multidisciplinaire à bord du navire de la Garde côtière canadienne Hudson dans la zone de réglementation de l’Organisation des pêches de l’Atlantique Nord-Ouest, afin de recueillir des données géologiques et d’imagerie benthique pour appuyer l’identification des écosystèmes marins vulnérables. À l’aide d’un véhicule télécommandé ROPOS, des images vidéo de six transects benthiques ont été recueillies sur le dôme Orphan, un fragment continental circulaire submergé situé à 550 km au ...