The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

An experimental study of the ecological impacts of hydraulic bivalve dredging on maerl.

An experimental study of the ecological impacts of hydraulic bivalve dredging on maerl.
An experimental study of the ecological impacts of hydraulic bivalve dredging on maerl.
A short-term experiment to assess the ecological impact of a hydraulic blade dredge on a maerl community was carried out during November 2001 in the Clyde Sea area on the west coast of Scotland. A fluorescent sediment tracer was used to label dead maerl, which was then spread out on the surface of sediment to act as a proxy for living maerl. The fauna collected by the dredge was dominated by the bivalves Dosinia exoleta and Tapes rhomboides, which were found to be intact. The target razor clams Ensis spp. were caught in low numbers, which reflected the low abundance of this genus within the maerl habitat. The hydraulic dredge removed, dispersed and buried the fluorescent maerl at a rate of 5.2 kgm2 and suspended a large cloud of sediment into the water column, which settled out and blanketed the seabed to a distance of at least 8m either side of the dredge track. The likely ecological consequences of hydraulic dredging on maerl grounds are discussed, and a case is made for protecting all maerl grounds from hydraulic dredging and establishing them as reservoirs to allow for the recruitment of commercial bivalve populations at adjacent fished sites.
hydraulic dredge, maerl, Ensis spp., Dosinia exoleta
1054-3139
381-392
Hauton, C.
7706f6ba-4497-42b2-8c6d-00df81676331
Hall-Spencer, J.M.
9c0ef630-84bc-46a0-b226-7e5eee2d33b3
Moore, P.G.
90518ec1-40f4-4bdd-8bdc-5f1f657fcdbe
Hauton, C.
7706f6ba-4497-42b2-8c6d-00df81676331
Hall-Spencer, J.M.
9c0ef630-84bc-46a0-b226-7e5eee2d33b3
Moore, P.G.
90518ec1-40f4-4bdd-8bdc-5f1f657fcdbe

Hauton, C., Hall-Spencer, J.M. and Moore, P.G. (2003) An experimental study of the ecological impacts of hydraulic bivalve dredging on maerl. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 60 (2), 381-392. (doi:10.1016/S1054–3139(03)00015-8).

Record type: Article

Abstract

A short-term experiment to assess the ecological impact of a hydraulic blade dredge on a maerl community was carried out during November 2001 in the Clyde Sea area on the west coast of Scotland. A fluorescent sediment tracer was used to label dead maerl, which was then spread out on the surface of sediment to act as a proxy for living maerl. The fauna collected by the dredge was dominated by the bivalves Dosinia exoleta and Tapes rhomboides, which were found to be intact. The target razor clams Ensis spp. were caught in low numbers, which reflected the low abundance of this genus within the maerl habitat. The hydraulic dredge removed, dispersed and buried the fluorescent maerl at a rate of 5.2 kgm2 and suspended a large cloud of sediment into the water column, which settled out and blanketed the seabed to a distance of at least 8m either side of the dredge track. The likely ecological consequences of hydraulic dredging on maerl grounds are discussed, and a case is made for protecting all maerl grounds from hydraulic dredging and establishing them as reservoirs to allow for the recruitment of commercial bivalve populations at adjacent fished sites.

Text
2003_IJMSC_Hauton_et_al.pdf - Other
Restricted to Registered users only
Download (9MB)
Request a copy

More information

Published date: 2003
Keywords: hydraulic dredge, maerl, Ensis spp., Dosinia exoleta

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 24127
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/24127
ISSN: 1054-3139
PURE UUID: 945157b3-0335-49fa-912e-f8732ca7d2b6
ORCID for C. Hauton: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2313-4226

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 23 Mar 2006
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 02:52

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: C. Hauton ORCID iD
Author: J.M. Hall-Spencer
Author: P.G. Moore

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×