Deep-sea sponge grounds of the Flemish Cap, Flemish Pass and the Grand Banks of Newfoundland (Northwest Atlantic Ocean): Distribution and species composition

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 842-854 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Javier Murillo ◽  
Pablo Durán Muñoz ◽  
Javier Cristobo ◽  
Pilar Ríos ◽  
Concepción González ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Northwest Atlantic ◽  
Grand Banks

scholarly journals Distribution of deep-water corals of the Flemish Cap, Flemish Pass, and the Grand Banks of Newfoundland (Northwest Atlantic Ocean): interaction with fishing activities

2010 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 319-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. J. Murillo ◽  
P. Durán Muñoz ◽  
A. Altuna ◽  
A. Serrano
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Continental Slope ◽  
Deep Water ◽  
Coral Species ◽  
Habitat Mapping ◽  
Bottom Trawl ◽  
Soft Corals ◽  
Northwest Atlantic ◽  
Grand Banks ◽  
Black Corals

Abstract Murillo, F. J., Durán Muñoz, P., Altuna, A., and Serrano, A. 2011. Distribution of deep-water corals of the Flemish Cap, Flemish Pass, and the Grand Banks of Newfoundland (Northwest Atlantic Ocean): interaction with fishing activities. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68: 319–332. The distribution of deep-water corals of the Flemish Cap, Flemish Pass, and the Grand Banks of Newfoundland is described based on bycatch from Spanish/EU bottom trawl groundfish surveys between 40 and 1500 m depth. In all, 37 taxa of deep-water corals were identified in the study area: 21 alcyonaceans (including the gorgonians), 11 pennatulaceans, 2 solitary scleractinians, and 3 antipatharians. The greatest diversity of coral species was on the Flemish Cap. Corals were most abundant along the continental slope, between 600 and 1300 m depth. Soft corals (alcyonaceans), sea fans (gorgonians), and black corals (antipatharians) were most common on bedrock or gravel, whereas sea pens (pennatulaceans) and cup corals (solitary scleractinians) were found primarily on mud. The biomass of deep-water corals in the bycatches was highest in previously lightly trawled or untrawled areas, and generally low in the regularly fished grounds. The information derived from bottom-trawl bycatch records is not sufficient to map vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) accurately, but pending more detailed habitat mapping, it provides a valuable indication of the presence/absence of VMEs that can be used to propose the candidate areas for bottom fishery closures or other conservation measures.

Hematozoa of deep-sea demersal fish of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean

1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (10) ◽  
pp. 1926-1933 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Khan ◽  
W. Threlfall ◽  
W. S. Whitty
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Demersal Fish ◽  
Northwest Atlantic ◽  
Physico Chemical ◽  
Chemical Factors ◽  
Total Fish

A total of 410 deep-sea demersal fish comprising 54 species was taken at depths of 1000–3200 m from two locations in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean and examined for hematozoans. Prevalences of 29% of the total fish and 61% of the species examined were observed. Piroplasms (Haemohormidium spp.) were the most common parasites (26% infection), with hemogregarine, trypanosome, and cryptobia infections being considerably lower. Haemogregarina marshalllairdi sp.nov. is described from Nezumia bairdi and Macrourus berglax. An enigmatic intraerythrocytic parasite was observed in one fish. A comparison of prevalences of the infections in fish living in the deep sea, on the continental shelf, and in inshore areas indicates that the percentages of fish species infected are comparable in the three areas and that the prevalence of piroplasm infections is greater in the deep-sea locations. It is likely that transmission of hematozoans, probably by hematophagous leeches, in the deep-sea demersal zone is similar to that on the continental shelf, despite the dramatic changes in biological and physico-chemical factors with increasing depth.

Seabird migration in the Canadian northwest Atlantic Ocean: moulting locations and movement patterns of immature birds

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. 624-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Huettmann ◽  
A W Diamond
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Marine Conservation ◽  
Cape Cod ◽  
Northern Fulmar ◽  
Uria Lomvia ◽  
Northwest Atlantic ◽  
Grand Banks ◽  
Transition Zones ◽  
Rissa Tridactyla ◽  
Glaucous Gull

All seabirds in the northwest Atlantic Ocean migrate, but timing and routes are not well understood. We evaluate existing knowledge on seabird migration with data from the Programme intégré de recherches sur les oiseaux pélagiques (PIROP) data base, using observations of immature and moulting seabirds to track migration of the following species: Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis), Greater Shearwater (Puffinus gravis), Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus), Herring Gull (Larus argentatus), Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides), Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus), Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus), Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), and Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia). The distributions of immature and moulting birds show strong seasonal patterns in the northwest Atlantic, and new transition zones and clear biological borderlines for seabird distribution were found. New data on timing and location of moulting Thick-billed Murres are presented. The southern Labrador Banks and Grand Banks (Thick-billed Murre, Northern Fulmar) and southeast Newfoundland and Georges Bank (Greater Shearwater) were identified as moulting grounds. In terms of marine conservation the following areas seem to be important for part of the life cycle of the species named: western Greenland, Cape Cod, Grand Banks, Labrador Banks, southwest Newfoundland, and the Grand Manan area.

scholarly journals Trait-based approach on deep-sea corals in the high-seas of the Flemish Cap and Flemish Pass (northwest Atlantic)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana García-Alegre ◽  
Francisco J Murillo ◽  
Mar Sacau ◽  
Ellen Kenchington ◽  
Alberto Serrano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Biological Traits ◽  
Trait Variation ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Northwest Atlantic ◽  
Grand Banks ◽  
Management Measures ◽  
Trawl Fisheries ◽  
Offshore Bank

Deep-sea coral aggregations represent important ecosystems in the Flemish Cap, where some areas have been closed to bottom fisheries by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization in order to implement conservation and management measures and prevent significant adverse impacts on Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs). Flemish Cap is an offshore Bank located about 600 km to the east of Newfoundland, separated from the Grand Banks by the Flemish Pass, a channel approximately 1200 m deep. 40 taxa of corals were identified in the area from bottom trawl research vessel surveys (2006-2015) and rock dredges (2009-2010). They included 22 Alcyonacea, 11 Pennatulacea, 3 Antipatharia and 4 Scleractinia. Corals identified were classified according to their biological traits in an attempt to better understand their function in the ecosystem. This study analyzes which biological traits were useful to classify corals in the Flemish Cap and Flemish Pass prioritizing traits where information is available and that capture variation for a range of biological or ecological processes. This study represents a baseline classification, quantifying trait variation among species, for further studies such as habitat suitability models or impact studies from trawl fisheries and oil and gas exploitation, which represent the main potential human activities in the area.

scholarly journals Environmental and Geomorphological Effects on the Distribution of Deep-Sea Canyon and Seamount Communities in the Northwest Atlantic

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen Mello-Rafter ◽  
Derek Sowers ◽  
Mashkoor Malik ◽  
Les Watling ◽  
Larry A. Mayer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
New England ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Sea Urchins ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Northwest Atlantic ◽  
Significant Difference

Deep sea canyons and seamounts are topographically complex features that are considered to be biological hotspots. Anthropogenic pressures related to climate change and human activities are placing the species that inhabit these features at risk. Though studies have examined species composition on seamounts and canyons, few have compared communities between them, and even fewer studies have examined how species’ abundances correlate with environmental conditions or geomorphology. Consequently, this study compares species composition, community structure, and environmental variables between Northwest Atlantic continental margin canyons and seamounts along the New England Seamount Chain. Geoforms were also related to the occurrence of phyla and biodiversity. Overall, there was a significant difference in species composition between canyons and seamounts with sponges, corals, sea urchins and seastars contributing heavily to observed differences. Environmental conditions of temperature and salinity and the seafloor property slope contributed significantly to communities observed on seamounts, while substrate, depth and salinity contributed significantly to canyon communities. Abundances were significantly higher in canyons, but taxonomic richness, evenness, and diversity were all greater on seamounts. In an era where climate change and human activity have the potential to alter environmental parameters in the deep sea, it is important to examine factors that influence the spatial distribution of deep-sea benthic communities.

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