An evaluation of benthic community structure in and around the Sackville Spur closed area (Northwest Atlantic) in relation to the protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems
An evaluation of benthic community structure in and around the Sackville Spur closed area (Northwest Atlantic) in relation to the protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems
The benthic macrofaunal community structure is investigated within and around a closed area at Sackville Spur in the Northwest Atlantic to ascertain whether continued exclusion of bottom fishing can be justified. This and other similar closed areas have been introduced by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO) to protect areas of likely occurrence of taxa that are indicative of vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) from the damaging effects of bottom-contact fishing gear. Results reveal subtle yet significant differences in macrofaunal assemblage composition and community structure between inside and outside the closed area, between above and below the 1200-m depth contour (i.e. the historical depth limit of fishing), and between areas where dense sponge spicule mats are either present or absent. Differences were observed in many assemblage metrics; however, the most revealing was the greater abundance, biomass, diversity, and number of VME indicative taxa inside the closed area than outside. Overall community composition is also significantly different between treatments. Depth, sediment temperature, and the proportion of clay within sediments are important in shaping the faunal assemblage. The importance of the effects of fishing is discussed, although it is not possible to ascertain if fishing is the direct cause behind observed differences in the macrofaunal assemblage. A continued closure of the area is recommended, as well as options for streamlining the evaluation process of other closed areas.
Fishing exclusion zone, NAFO, Northwest Atlantic, Sackville Spur, Vulnerable marine ecosystem (VME)
213-222
Barrio Froján, Christopher R.S.
4935e7ee-ac0f-41bd-b00b-2c5806561d74
MacIsaac, Kevin G.
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McMillan, Andrew K.
c809759d-97bf-408d-a89d-29dcc6d848dd
Del Mar Sacau Cuadrado, María
30c46527-7234-435d-9515-d6c25319045f
Large, Philip A.
01471cad-13c0-4da8-b23a-8c184e31fb44
Kenny, Andrew J.
ca578559-e62d-449d-9f95-e819d4404166
Kenchington, Ellen
f6dfc7c2-b8d1-42eb-9478-5dfa11340570
De Cárdenas González, Enrique
584929b5-a1af-42c8-aae7-667b1bd76657
1 January 2012
Barrio Froján, Christopher R.S.
4935e7ee-ac0f-41bd-b00b-2c5806561d74
MacIsaac, Kevin G.
f9f2f1fc-b61a-4c6a-bced-7ef162880994
McMillan, Andrew K.
c809759d-97bf-408d-a89d-29dcc6d848dd
Del Mar Sacau Cuadrado, María
30c46527-7234-435d-9515-d6c25319045f
Large, Philip A.
01471cad-13c0-4da8-b23a-8c184e31fb44
Kenny, Andrew J.
ca578559-e62d-449d-9f95-e819d4404166
Kenchington, Ellen
f6dfc7c2-b8d1-42eb-9478-5dfa11340570
De Cárdenas González, Enrique
584929b5-a1af-42c8-aae7-667b1bd76657
Barrio Froján, Christopher R.S., MacIsaac, Kevin G., McMillan, Andrew K., Del Mar Sacau Cuadrado, María, Large, Philip A., Kenny, Andrew J., Kenchington, Ellen and De Cárdenas González, Enrique
(2012)
An evaluation of benthic community structure in and around the Sackville Spur closed area (Northwest Atlantic) in relation to the protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems.
ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69 (2), .
(doi:10.1093/icesjms/fss004).
Abstract
The benthic macrofaunal community structure is investigated within and around a closed area at Sackville Spur in the Northwest Atlantic to ascertain whether continued exclusion of bottom fishing can be justified. This and other similar closed areas have been introduced by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO) to protect areas of likely occurrence of taxa that are indicative of vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) from the damaging effects of bottom-contact fishing gear. Results reveal subtle yet significant differences in macrofaunal assemblage composition and community structure between inside and outside the closed area, between above and below the 1200-m depth contour (i.e. the historical depth limit of fishing), and between areas where dense sponge spicule mats are either present or absent. Differences were observed in many assemblage metrics; however, the most revealing was the greater abundance, biomass, diversity, and number of VME indicative taxa inside the closed area than outside. Overall community composition is also significantly different between treatments. Depth, sediment temperature, and the proportion of clay within sediments are important in shaping the faunal assemblage. The importance of the effects of fishing is discussed, although it is not possible to ascertain if fishing is the direct cause behind observed differences in the macrofaunal assemblage. A continued closure of the area is recommended, as well as options for streamlining the evaluation process of other closed areas.
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More information
Accepted/In Press date: 20 December 2011
Published date: 1 January 2012
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
The present investigation was undertaken as part of the NAFO Potential Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems—Impacts of Deep-sea Fisheries project (NEREIDA). The project is supported by Spain’s General Secretary of the Sea (SGM), Spain’s Ministry for the Rural and Marine Environment, the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, the Geological Survey of Canada, the Canadian Hydrographic Service, the Ecosystem Research Division of Fisheries and Ocean Canada, the UK’s Centre for the Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), the Russian Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography, and the Russian P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology (RAS). The authors would like to acknowledge the hard work of the crew and scientists aboard the research vessel “Miguel Oliver” who collected the samples for this study, as well as staff at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography (Canada) for their assistance in generating the data.
Keywords:
Fishing exclusion zone, NAFO, Northwest Atlantic, Sackville Spur, Vulnerable marine ecosystem (VME)
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 479569
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/479569
ISSN: 1054-3139
PURE UUID: e23e1208-0098-4a4e-aa52-1c5295b9e41c
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Date deposited: 26 Jul 2023 16:38
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 04:11
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Contributors
Author:
Christopher R.S. Barrio Froján
Author:
Kevin G. MacIsaac
Author:
Andrew K. McMillan
Author:
María Del Mar Sacau Cuadrado
Author:
Philip A. Large
Author:
Andrew J. Kenny
Author:
Ellen Kenchington
Author:
Enrique De Cárdenas González
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