scholarly journals Demersal Fish Assemblages in NE Atlantic Seagrass and Kelp

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 366
Author(s):  
Evie Furness ◽  
Richard K.F. Unsworth
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Demersal Fish ◽  
Kelp Forests ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Ecological Value ◽  
Commercial Fish ◽  
Seagrass Meadows ◽  
The North ◽  
Commercial Species

Global fisheries are in decline, calling for urgent evidence-based action. One such action is the identification and protection of fishery-associated habitats such as seagrass meadows and kelp forests, both of which have suffered long-term loss and degradation in the North Atlantic region. Direct comparisons of the value of seagrass and kelp in supporting demersal fish assemblages are largely absent from the literature. Here, we address this knowledge gap. Demersal fish were sampled using a baited camera to test for differences between habitats in (1) the species composition of the fish assemblages, (2) the total abundance and species richness of fishes, and (3) the abundances of major commercial species. Seagrass and kelp-associated fish assemblages formed two significantly distinct groupings, which were driven by increased whiting (Merlangius merlangus) and dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula) presence in seagrass and higher abundances of pollock (Pollachius pollachius) and goby (Gobiusculus flavescens) in kelp. The abundance, diversity, and species richness did not change significantly between the two habitats. We conclude that seagrass and kelp do support unique demersal fish assemblages, providing evidence that they have different ecological value through their differing support of commercial fish species. Thus, this study improves the foundation for evidence-based policy changes.

scholarly journals Demersal fish assemblages and habitat characteristics on the continental shelf and upper slope of the north-western Mediterranean

2000 ◽  
Vol 80 (6) ◽  
pp. 981-988 ◽  
Author(s):  
Montserrat Demestre ◽  
Pilar Sánchez ◽  
Pere Abelló
Keyword(s):  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Demersal Fish ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Species Assemblages ◽  
The North ◽  
Benthic Sediments ◽  
Upper Slope

Continental shelf and upper slope fish communities were studied along the Catalan coast based on 66 experimental bottom otter trawls. A total of 79 demersal fish species were studied by means of cluster analysis and multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) ordination for community structure. Analysis revealed the existence of five major location clusters. Similarity percentage analysis (SIMPER) was determined by comparing the dissimilarity between two groups of samples using the discriminating species. Geomorphological characteristics, bottom substratum and depth showed direct influences on species assemblages. High correlation between the biotic data samples and depth was observed. The fish species assemblages identified five main demersal fish associations which corresponded with the five location clusters and with five benthic sediments (mud of the upper slope, sand and gravel, mud of the shelf, muddy-sand and sand with rocky outcrops).

scholarly journals The influence of offshore windpower on demersal fish

2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 775-784 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Wilhelmsson ◽  
Torleif Malm ◽  
Marcus C. Öhman
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Demersal Fish ◽  
Fish Abundance ◽  
Artificial Reefs ◽  
Fish Community Structure ◽  
Blue Mussels ◽  
Fish Aggregation ◽  
Surrounding Areas

Abstract A significant expansion of offshore windpower is expected in northwestern Europe in the near future. Little is known about the impacts it may have on the marine environment. Here, we investigate the potential for wind turbines to function as artificial reefs and fish aggregation devices (FADs), i.e. whether they would locally increase fish densities or alter fish assemblages. Fish communities and habitat composition were investigated using visual transects at two windpower farms off the southeastern coast of Sweden, central Baltic Sea. Fish abundance was greater in the vicinity of the turbines than in surrounding areas, while species richness and Shannon–Wiener diversity (H′) were similar. On the monopiles of the turbines, fish community structure was different, and total fish abundance was greater, while species richness and diversity (H′) were lower than on the surrounding seabed. Blue mussels and barnacles covered most of the submerged parts of the turbines. On the seabed, more blue mussels and a lesser cover of red algae were recorded around the power plants than elsewhere. Results from this study suggest that offshore windfarms may function as combined artificial reefs and fish aggregation devices for small demersal fish.

scholarly journals Beta Diversity of Demersal Fish Assemblages in the North-Eastern Pacific: Interactions of Latitude and Depth

PLoS ONE ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. e57918 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marti J. Anderson ◽  
Nick Tolimieri ◽  
Russell B. Millar
Keyword(s):  
Beta Diversity ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Demersal Fish ◽  
Eastern Pacific ◽  
The North ◽  
North Eastern

scholarly journals The demersal fish assemblages of the infra and circalittoral coastal rocky bottoms of the Aeolian Archipelago (Central Mediterranean Sea) studied by Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
IVAN CONSALVO ◽  
GABRIELE La MESA ◽  
SIMONEPIETRO CANESE ◽  
MICHELA GIUSTI ◽  
EVA SALVATI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Demersal Fish ◽  
Total Density ◽  
Depth Range ◽  
Remotely Operated Vehicle ◽  
Depth Ranges ◽  
Aeolian Archipelago ◽  
Rocky Bottoms

Demersal fish assemblages on the rocky bottoms of the Aeolian Archipelago were investigated using a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) within the framework of research activities aimed at drawing up the zoning proposal of a new Italian national marine protected area. Visual assessments were conducted around the seven main islands by means of a total of 36 ROV transects. Video material was divided into 3 parts belonging to 3 Archipelago sectors (Western, Central and Eastern) and into 3 depth ranges (20-50, 51-120, 121-190). Thirty taxa of teleosts (29 species and 1 genus) belonging to 16 families were recorded. The assemblages were numerically dominated by some schooling fishes, such as Anthias anthias, Callanthias ruber and Chromis chromis, which exhibited a depth related partitioning of space, and three non-gregarious species, i.e. Serranus cabrilla, Coris julis and Lappanella fasciata. In terms of species composition, the assemblages observed in the sectors of the Archipelago largely overlapped. No significant sector-related differences were detected in fish species richness, diversity and total density. Species composition and the investigated assemblage parameters were significantly affected by depth. The pattern of variation in species richness among depth ranges changed depending on the archipelago sectors. No significant interaction between the factors depth range and sector was observed for species diversity and total density. Diversity values at 20-50 and 121-190 m depth were similar and significantly higher than that at 51-120 m depth. Fish total density showed a clear decreasing trend with increasing depth, though significant differences were detected between the 20-50 and 51-120 depth layers and the deepest one. Overall, the demersal fish assemblage of the Aeolian Archipelago was poorly diversified and depleted, most likely due to overfishing. This information highlighted the importance of the adoption of specific measures aimed at the recovery of overexploited resources and the restoration of the whole marine ecosystems.

scholarly journals Seagrass Structural Traits Drive Fish Assemblages in Small-Scale Fisheries

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin L. Jones ◽  
Lina M. Nordlund ◽  
Richard K. F. Unsworth ◽  
Narriman S. Jiddawi ◽  
Johan S. Eklöf
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Structural Complexity ◽  
Tropical Fish ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Seagrass Species ◽  
Seagrass Meadows ◽  
Seagrass Cover

Seagrasses – a group of foundation species in coastal ecosystems – provide key habitat for diverse and abundant faunal assemblages and support numerous ecosystem functions and services. However, whether the habitat role of seagrasses is influenced by seagrass diversity, by dominant species or both, remains unclear. To that end, we sought to investigate the specific seagrass characteristics (e.g., species diversity, seagrass traits) that influence tropical fish assemblages, and place this in the context of small-scale fishery use. We surveyed seagrass variables at 55 plots, nested within 12 sites around Zanzibar (Tanzania) in the Western Indian Ocean, and used Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) systems to assess fish assemblages across plots. Using linear mixed models, we reveal that seagrass structural complexity and depth were the best predictors of fish abundance, with higher abundance occurring in deeper meadows or meadows with high canopy, leaf length and number of leaves per shoot. Moreover, an interaction between seagrass cover and land-use was the best predictor of fish species richness, where sites closer to human impacts were less affected by cover than sites with lower human impact. Overall, models with seagrass species richness or functional diversity as predictors poorly explained fish assemblages. Fish taxa that were important for small-scale fishery sectors (e.g., emperors, snappers, rabbitfish, and parrotfish) were primarily driven by seagrass structural complexity. Our results provide a unique analysis of the relationship between seagrass habitat and its associated fish assemblages in that we show that seagrass species diversity had little effect on seagrass fish assemblages, which instead appear driven by specific seagrass traits and seagrass cover. If conserving high value species that support adjacent fisheries is the priority for protecting seagrass meadows, then seagrass areas should be chosen with high cover and structural complexity that are in deeper waters. Any conservation measures also need to balance the needs of fishers that use the resources supported by seagrasses.

Latitudinal variation of demersal fish assemblages in the western Ross Sea

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 782-792 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malcolm R. Clark ◽  
Matthew R. Dunn ◽  
Peter J. McMillan ◽  
Matthew H. Pinkerton ◽  
Andrew Stewart ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Multivariate Analyses ◽  
Ross Sea ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
Demersal Fish ◽  
The North ◽  
Sample Frequency ◽  
Main Components ◽  
Temperature Depth

AbstractDemersal fishes were sampled using a large fish trawl during two surveys carried out in February and March 2004 and 2008 in the Ross Sea, and around seamounts and islands just to the north at 66°S. The distribution and abundance of 65 species collected in these surveys were examined to determine if demersal fish communities varied throughout the area, and what environmental factors might influence this. Species accumulation with sample frequency did not reach an asymptote, but the rate of new species was low suggesting data were adequate for describing the main components of the communities. Three broad assemblages were identified, in the southern Ross Sea (south of 74°S), central–northern Ross Sea (between latitudes 71°–74°S), and the seamounts further north (65°–68°S) where some species more typical of sub-Antarctic latitudes were observed. Multivariate analyses indicated that environmental factors of seafloor rugosity (roughness), temperature, depth, and current speed were the main variables determining patterns in demersal fish communities.

scholarly journals Changes in the exploited demersal fish assemblages in the Southern Grand Banks (NAFO Divisions 3NO): 2002–2013

2014 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 753-770 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriana Nogueira ◽  
Xabier Paz ◽  
Diana González-Troncoso
Keyword(s):  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Demersal Fish ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Size Spectra ◽  
Grand Banks ◽  
Environmental Regimes ◽  
Commercial Species ◽  
Faunal Diversity ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Population Rate

Abstract The Newfoundland Shelf supported one of the world’s greatest fisheries until the main commercial species collapsed more than two decades ago. We calculated three ecological indices for individual populations and five for community from the data obtained in the research surveys conducted by Spain in NAFO Regulatory Area Divisions 3NO between 2002 and 2013. We use data for 24 species to study the dynamics of major demersal fish assemblages (38–300, 301–600, and 601–1460 m depth) and evaluated how they have responded to different levels of exploitation. Trends and changes for individual populations (abundance and biomass, intrinsic population rate of growth, and mean length) and for all the community (ABC curves, indices of faunal diversity, proportion of non-commercial species, mean length in community and size spectra) were used to test ecological trends. Indices showed no homogeneous status and responded to different exploitation patterns, management, and environmental regimes in each assemblage. Our results show an improvement in the shallower and deeper assemblages and that fishing effort does not explain differences among each assemblage.

scholarly journals Changes and trends in the demersal fish community of the Flemish Cap, Northwest Atlantic, in the period 1988–2008

2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (5) ◽  
pp. 902-912 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfonso Pérez-Rodríguez ◽  
Mariano Koen-Alonso ◽  
Fran Saborido-Rey
Keyword(s):  
Fish Community ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Moving Average ◽  
Demersal Fish ◽  
Dynamic Factor ◽  
Northwest Atlantic ◽  
Common Trends ◽  
Piscivorous Fish ◽  
The North ◽  
Commercial Species

Abstract Pérez-Rodríguez, A., Koen-Alonso, M., and Saborido-Rey, F. 2012. Changes and trends in the demersal fish community of the Flemish Cap, Northwest Atlantic, in the period 1988–2008. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69: 902–912. The Flemish Cap fish community (NAFO Division 3M) has been fished since the 1950s, and major changes in the biomass and abundance of its most important commercial species have been reported since the late 1980s. Variations in oceanographic conditions at the Cap, with alternating periods of cold and warm weather, have also been described. This work examines the existence of common trends in the biomass levels of the main demersal species over time using dynamic factor analysis, and the occurrence of “occasional species” was explored in relation to temperature conditions. Overall, there have been significant changes in community structure involving both commercial and non-commercial species. Common trends among species were identified and overall fishing pressure, environmental conditions (represented by a moving average of the North Atlantic Oscillation, NAO), and predation pressure (represented by the abundance of piscivorous fish) emerged as important drivers of the temporal dynamics. The NAO influence in the dynamics of most species was in agreement with their temperature preference. For occasional species, their pattern of occurrence appears also to be linked to changes in temperature regimes.

Influence of habitat complexity on fish density and species richness in structurally simple forereef seagrass meadows

2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 547-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Ann Jin Ho ◽  
Jillian Lean Sim Ooi ◽  
Yang Amri Affendi ◽  
Ving Ching Chong
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Habitat Complexity ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Fish Habitat ◽  
Relative Size ◽  
Shoot Density ◽  
Fish Density ◽  
Percent Cover ◽  
Seagrass Meadows ◽  
Fish Habitats

Abstract Seagrass meadows are highly productive habitats that support commercially and ecologically important fishes and invertebrates. However, evidence of fish-habitat relationships are seldom drawn from forereef seagrass meadows that are structurally simple in terms of species richness and relative size and, consequently, their role as habitats is unclear. In this study, fish-habitat relationships were examined in such meadows in the forereef seagrasses of Tinggi Island and Babi Besar Island, Malaysia, by documenting habitat complexity attributes (canopy height, shoot density and percent cover), distance to adjacent coral reefs, and water depth within 2×2 m quadrats. Fish assemblages were recorded using the Remote Underwater Video Station method. A total of 1166 individuals from 86 taxa were found and enumerated. This study showed that (1) fish density and species richness were significantly associated with seagrass percent cover alone; (2) commercially important carnivores formed the majority of the fish populations in the meadows, and (3) fish density and species richness were positively correlated with distance to the nearest adjacent coral reef, indicating the need to account for the effects of neighboring habitats in studies of this nature. Thus, structurally simple seagrass meadows are still important fish habitats, especially as feeding grounds for commercially significant carnivores.

scholarly journals Resolution of biodiversity and assemblage structure in demersal fisheries surveys: the role of tow duration

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (5) ◽  
pp. 1672-1681 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Moriarty ◽  
A F Sell ◽  
V M Trenkel ◽  
C P Lynam ◽  
F Burns ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Significant Loss ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Large Fish ◽  
The North ◽  
Commercial Species ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Typical Length

Abstract An experiment during a fisheries independent survey in the North Sea was conducted to test whether sampling effort could be reduced without a significant loss in data precision. To examine potential effects of reducing tow duration from the standard 30 min to a proposed 15 min estimates of species encounter rates, species richness, and estimates of abundance, biomass, and body size were analysed. Results show species richness estimates are lower in the short tow category. While biomass and abundance at length and body size are significantly affected by the change in tow duration, estimates of Large Fish Indicator, the Typical length and Mean-max length are not significantly affected by the regime change. The results presented here suggest that a reduction of tow duration did not optimize the resolution of biodiversity, and it may affect other survey objectives, such as, providing estimates of abundance or biomass for assessment of commercial species.

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