Trawling disturbance on benthic ecosystems and consequences on commercial species: a northwestern Mediterranean case study
Trawling is known to disturb benthic communities and habitats, which may in turn indirectly affect populations of commercial species that live in close association with the seabed. The degree of impact on both benthic communities and demersal species depends on the fishing effort level. This may var...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas
2014-03-01
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| Series: | Scientia Marina |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://scientiamarina.revistas.csic.es/index.php/scientiamarina/article/view/1511 |
| _version_ | 1818450750041227264 |
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| author | Alba Muntadas Montserrat Demestre Silvia de Juan Chris L.J. Frid |
| author_facet | Alba Muntadas Montserrat Demestre Silvia de Juan Chris L.J. Frid |
| author_sort | Alba Muntadas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Trawling is known to disturb benthic communities and habitats, which may in turn indirectly affect populations of commercial species that live in close association with the seabed. The degree of impact on both benthic communities and demersal species depends on the fishing effort level. This may vary over the year because of the fleet dynamics, which are in turn normally driven by the main target species’ life cycle. In this study we describe changes in benthic functional components of a northwestern Mediterranean fishing ground that represents a recruitment area for an important target species (red mullet, Mullus barbatus). This fishing ground experiences a varying intensity of fishing effort over the year and benthic functional components under different levels of trawling were compared with an unfished, control area. Traits related to sexual maturity and life span for infauna and body size and life span for epifauna were found to vary with fishing activity. Potential effects of these changes on ecological functioning and the impact on red mullet population are discussed. The development of fisheries management plans under an ecosystem based fisheries management (EBFM) requires the links between target species and benthic communities’ disturbance due to fishing practices to be explicitly considered. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T20:56:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7701599e10d442c4957cf52d2b744fcd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0214-8358 1886-8134 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T20:56:15Z |
| publishDate | 2014-03-01 |
| publisher | Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientia Marina |
| spelling | doaj.art-7701599e10d442c4957cf52d2b744fcd2022-12-21T22:47:41ZengConsejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasScientia Marina0214-83581886-81342014-03-0178S1536510.3989/scimar.04024.19A1485Trawling disturbance on benthic ecosystems and consequences on commercial species: a northwestern Mediterranean case studyAlba Muntadas0Montserrat Demestre1Silvia de Juan2Chris L.J. Frid3Institut de Ciencies del MarIntitut de Ciencies del MarNational Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA)School of Environmental Sciences, University of LiverpoolTrawling is known to disturb benthic communities and habitats, which may in turn indirectly affect populations of commercial species that live in close association with the seabed. The degree of impact on both benthic communities and demersal species depends on the fishing effort level. This may vary over the year because of the fleet dynamics, which are in turn normally driven by the main target species’ life cycle. In this study we describe changes in benthic functional components of a northwestern Mediterranean fishing ground that represents a recruitment area for an important target species (red mullet, Mullus barbatus). This fishing ground experiences a varying intensity of fishing effort over the year and benthic functional components under different levels of trawling were compared with an unfished, control area. Traits related to sexual maturity and life span for infauna and body size and life span for epifauna were found to vary with fishing activity. Potential effects of these changes on ecological functioning and the impact on red mullet population are discussed. The development of fisheries management plans under an ecosystem based fisheries management (EBFM) requires the links between target species and benthic communities’ disturbance due to fishing practices to be explicitly considered.http://scientiamarina.revistas.csic.es/index.php/scientiamarina/article/view/1511benthosbtafunctioningmullet fisheriestrawlingnw mediterranean |
| spellingShingle | Alba Muntadas Montserrat Demestre Silvia de Juan Chris L.J. Frid Trawling disturbance on benthic ecosystems and consequences on commercial species: a northwestern Mediterranean case study Scientia Marina benthos bta functioning mullet fisheries trawling nw mediterranean |
| title | Trawling disturbance on benthic ecosystems and consequences on commercial species: a northwestern Mediterranean case study |
| title_full | Trawling disturbance on benthic ecosystems and consequences on commercial species: a northwestern Mediterranean case study |
| title_fullStr | Trawling disturbance on benthic ecosystems and consequences on commercial species: a northwestern Mediterranean case study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Trawling disturbance on benthic ecosystems and consequences on commercial species: a northwestern Mediterranean case study |
| title_short | Trawling disturbance on benthic ecosystems and consequences on commercial species: a northwestern Mediterranean case study |
| title_sort | trawling disturbance on benthic ecosystems and consequences on commercial species a northwestern mediterranean case study |
| topic | benthos bta functioning mullet fisheries trawling nw mediterranean |
| url | http://scientiamarina.revistas.csic.es/index.php/scientiamarina/article/view/1511 |
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