Santiago Parra - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Santiago Parra
Deep-sea Research Part I-oceanographic Research Papers, 2011
A seasonal analysis of deep-sea infauna (macrobenthos) based on quantitative sampling was conduct... more A seasonal analysis of deep-sea infauna (macrobenthos) based on quantitative sampling was conducted over the Catalan Sea slope, within the Bes os canyon (at $ 550-600 m) and on its adjacent slope (at 800 m). Both sites were sampled in February, April, June-July and October 2007. Environmental variables influencing faunal distribution were also recorded in the sediment and sediment/water interface. Dynamics of macrobenthos at the two stations showed differences in biomass/abundance patterns and trophic structures. Biomass was higher inside the Bes os canyon than on the adjacent slope. The community was mostly dominated by surface-deposit feeding polychaetes (Ampharetidae, Paraonidae, Flabelligeridae) and crustaceans (amphipods such as Carangoliopsis spinulosa and Harpinia spp.) inside the canyon, while subsurface deposit feeders (mainly the sipunculan Onchnesoma steenstrupii) were dominant over the adjacent slope. The taxonomic composition in the suprabenthic assemblages of polychaetes, collected on the adjacent slope by a suprabenthic sledge, was clearly different from that collected by the box-corer. The suprabenthic assemblage was dominated by carnivorous forms (mainly Harmothoe sp. and Nephthys spp.) and linked to higher near-bottom turbidity. Inside Bes os a clear temporal succession of species was related to both food availability and quality and the proliferation of opportunistic species was consistent with higher variability in food sources (TOC, C/N, d 13 C) in comparison to adjacent slope. This was likely caused by a greater influence of terrigenous inputs from river discharges. Inside the canyon, Capitellidae, Spionidae and Flabelligeridae, in general considered as deposit feeders, were more abundant in June-July coinciding with a clear signal of terrigenous carbon (depleted d 13 C, high C/N) in the sediments. By contrast, during October and under conditions of high water turbidity and increases of TOM, carnivorous polychaetes (Glyceridae, Onuphidae) increased. Total macrobenthos biomass found over Catalonian slopes were higher than that found in the neighboring Toulon canyon, probably because the two canyons are influenced by different river inputs, connected with distinct terrigenous sources.
Progress in Oceanography, 2007
The community structure of the decapod crustaceans inhabiting Le Danois Bank (Cantabrian Sea, NE ... more The community structure of the decapod crustaceans inhabiting Le Danois Bank (Cantabrian Sea, NE Atlantic Ocean) was studied on two cruises performed in October 2003 and April 2004. Otter and beam-trawls were used to collect this fauna. At depths ranging between 455 and 1048 m, we found distinct decapod assemblages on the bank summit and deeper in the inner basin (between the bank and the continental shelf). The faunal discontinuity between these groups appeared at around 600 m (e.g. between 612 and 642 m in the basis of species replacement). The summit assemblage was characterized by low diversity (in terms of number and relative abundances of species) and by the dominance of hermit crabs (Pagurus alatus, Anapagurus laevis, Pagurus excavatus), the crangonid Pontophilus spinosus and the squat lobster Munida sarsi. Species characterizing the deeper assemblage, which was richer in terms of diversity, were Munida tenuimana, Parapagurus pilosimanus, Pontophilus norvegicus, the crab Geryon trispinosus and a number of bathypelagic shrimps (Sergia robusta, Acanthephyra pelagica and Pasiphaea tarda). Changes in decapod composition characterized by multidimensional scaling analyses were correlated with different variables, e.g. %mud and %organic matter (OM), temperature and salinity close to the bottom. Among those the %OM and %mud in sediments affected decapod distributions the most. The summit of the bank was covered by fine sediments with low proportion of mud (13.9-29.3%) and OM (2.55-3.50%). By contrast, sediment of the inner basin had a higher proportion of OM and mud (64.1-84.2%; 6.26-7.00%, respectively). The low proportion of mud at the summit of Le Danois Bank may explain the absence or scarcity of burrowing species (e.g. the lobster Nephrops norvegicus, the shrimps Calocaris macandreae and Alpheus glaber and the crab Goneplax rhomboides), that are dominant at similar depths (400-500 m) in the upper muddy assemblage on the mainland-continental slope in the Bay of . The dominance of certain species on the summit of submarine mounts can probably be related to their biology and feeding ecology. For example, pagurids are deposit feeders, even consuming marine snow (e.g. Chl-a identified in guts of Pagurus alatus), and they have low gut fullness (probably indicating a capacity to withstand long periods under starvation), that would favour their adaptability to a rather unpredictable habitat such as Le Danois Bank summit. Regarding prey availability, zooplankton/micronekton and infauna distributed around Le Danois Bank showed different 0079-6611/$ -see front matter Ó
Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2006
Two years after the Prestige oil spill (POS) an assessment of the effects on benthic fauna was ca... more Two years after the Prestige oil spill (POS) an assessment of the effects on benthic fauna was carried out using the data obtained in five multidisciplinary surveys. Otter trawl, beam trawl, suprabenthic sled and box corer were used to study the main benthic compartments, along eight transects perpendicular to the coastline. Beam trawl was also employed to quantify the amount of tar aggregates on the continental shelf. No significant correlations between tar aggregates and species richness, biomass and diversity of benthic communities were found. This result was corroborated when the role of depth, season, latitude and sediment characteristics was examined by canonical ordination, in which POS-related variables had low influence on spatial distribution patterns. Depth and sediment grain diameter profoundly influence epibenthic communities. Sediment organic content is a third key variable for the infaunal, suprabenthic and lower-sized epibenthic communities, but not for the larger epibenthic communities. Nevertheless, a decrease in the densities of several epibenthic indicators was detected the first year after spill, followed by a noteworthy recovery in 2004. Non-macroscopic toxicity and some oceanographic agents are suggested as possible causes of these shifts.
Deep-sea Research Part I-oceanographic Research Papers, 2007
The trophic relationships of decapod crustaceans on Le Danois bank (NE of Iberian Peninsula, NE A... more The trophic relationships of decapod crustaceans on Le Danois bank (NE of Iberian Peninsula, NE Atlantic Ocean) were studied within the framework of the multidisciplinary project ECOMARG during two surveys, one in October 2003 and the other in April 2004. The diets of eleven species of decapods were analyzed and, within a rather continuous gradient of food source exploitation, 3 trophic groups were identified: (1) plankton feeders, comprising the shrimps Acanthephyra pelagica, Sergia robusta, and Pasiphaea tarda, which preyed on meso-bathypelagic taxa such as euphausiids and calanoids; (2) benthos feeders, comprising the crangonids Pontophilus norvegicus and Pontophilus spinosus, the crab Geryon trispinosus and the shrimp Aristeus antennatus; and (3) an intermediate group, including the rest of species, with mixed diets that included detritus. Among the third group, anomurans (Munida tenuimana, Pagurus alatus, and Parapagurus pilosimanus) consumed phytoplanktonic detritus in April, suggesting a link with peaks of surface Chl a occurring between March and April in the study area. Gut pigment and isotopic (d 13 C/d 15 N correlations) analyses revealed that assemblages inhabiting the top of the bank (455-612 m) and the inner basin (642-1048 m, close to the Lastres canyon head) had different food sources, with species inhabiting the deepest region exhibiting a stronger dependence on marine snow derivatives. These results are consistent with the higher proportion of mud and sediment organic matter (OM) content in the inner basin (82.2% pellites; 6.3% OM at 1028 m) compared to the top of the Le Danois bank (only 13.9% pellites; 2.8% OM at 485 m), which is a hydrodynamically more active zone. Exploitation of different food sources is also consistent with differences in the trophic level of species, inferred from stable d 15 N isotope analyses, which yield values ranging from 6.88% for the hermit crab P. alatus to 13.52% for the crangonid shrimp P. norvegicus. Stomach fullness was higher in April 2004 than in October 2003, both between and within species of the dominant decapods, including detritus feeders (M. tenuimana) and benthos feeders (e.g. G. trispinosus, P. norvegicus). Most species exhibited a parallel increase in their density in April 2004, with a significant positive correlation between density and stomach fullness. This increase coincides with a peak of surface Chl a concentration occurring in March-April. r
Journal of Marine Systems, 2008
Spatial distribution patterns of epibenthic communities on the Galician continental shelf were st... more Spatial distribution patterns of epibenthic communities on the Galician continental shelf were studied using multivariate methods. Data came from 5 surveys carried out in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Beam trawls and otter trawls were used to study epibenthic communities along 8 transects perpendicular to the coastline. The role of depth, season, latitude and sediment characteristics was examined. Seven habitats were described according to bathymetry and sediment characteristics. There were weak linear relationships between environmental variables and species richness, biomass and species diversity. However, the canonical analysis showed that depth and sediment characteristics greatly influence smaller epibenthic communities sampled by beam trawl. Six assemblages were obtained for beam trawls: inner shelf mud, very fine sands, and fine sands, middle shelf sands, and outer shelf very fine sands, and fine sands. Five assemblages were identified for larger-sized and swimming epibenthos sampled with otter trawls. These assemblages were also determined according to depth and sediment type but sediment characteristics were less important. Otter trawl assemblages were the same as the beam trawl ones, except for on the outer shelf where no differences between sediment type were detected. For both gears, inner and outer shelf assemblages displayed a higher biotic variability than the middle shelf, as a consequence of a higher environmental heterogeneity. Typifying species were mainly eurytopic in the middle shelf, whereas eurytopic and stenotopic species characterised the inner and outer shelves.
Information is critical to Ecosystem Approach and to research about Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems/... more Information is critical to Ecosystem Approach and to research about Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems/Habitats (VME/Hs), fishing impacts on habitats and ad-hoc management measures are high-priority. Therefore, this paper presents the ECOVUL/ARPA Interdisciplinary Approach, a case study of methodology for the identification of VME/Hs in order to advise on conservation measures such as marine protected areas (MPAs). By means of an interactive process involving Conventional Fisheries Science, Geomorphology, Sedimentology and Benthic Ecology, the methodology developed under the ECOVUL/ARPA project, has been useful in order to contribute to define practical criteria to the identification of VME/Hs, to improve the knowledge about VME/Hs distribution and the adverse impacts of bottom trawl fisheries and to produce high quality advice on habitat protection. Applying an interdisciplinary approach, the project identified the deep-water bottom trawl fishery footprint on the Hatton Bank Western slope (NEAFC Regulatory Area), mapped the main fishing grounds and related seabed habitats and studied the interactions between fishing and cold-water corals. This approach was used to suggest, with high level of precision, the spatial limits of an area closed to bottom fishing, as an essential conservation measure to protect the cold-water corals in the framework of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries management. We present here the methods used, the main results obtained and discuss on the utility of this approach and the possibilities to apply it in the NAFO Regulatory Area, with the aim to advise on measures for reducing the interactions of bottom fishing with sensitive high-seas habitats and to contribute to implement the UNGA recommendations about habitat conservation.
Ices Journal of Marine Science, 2009
ABSTRACT Research into vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) on the high seas and the impacts of bo... more ABSTRACT Research into vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) on the high seas and the impacts of bottom fishing and ad hoc management measures are high priority today thanks to UN General Assembly Resolution 61/105. An interdisciplinary methodology (specifically designed for selecting cold-water coral protection areas) and a case study focused on the Hatton Bank (NE Atlantic) are presented. This interdisciplinary approach, developed under the ECOVUL/ARPA project, was based on conventional fisheries science, geomorphology, benthic ecology, and sedimentology. It contributes to de. ning practical criteria for identifying VMEs, to improving knowledge of their distribution off Europe's continental shelf, and to providing advice on negative fishing impacts and habitat protection. The approach was used to identify the bottom-trawl deep-sea fishery footprint on the western slope of Hatton Bank, to map the main fishing grounds and related deep-sea habitats (1000-1500 m deep), and to study the interactions between fisheries and cold-water corals. The results lead to a proposal to close the outcrop area (4645 km(2)) located on the western slope of Hatton Bank as a conservation measure for cold-water corals.
Journal of Marine Systems, 2008
The purpose of this paper is to detect and describe general trends in the spatial distribution of... more The purpose of this paper is to detect and describe general trends in the spatial distribution of epibenthic and demersal communities of Le Danois Bank (El Cachucho) in relation to the environmental variables that characterize their habitat by means of multivariate ordination. Data were derived from two multidisciplinary surveys carried out in October 2003 and April 2004 included in the ECOMARG project. The surveys were focused on the study of the physical scenario, including both geological (seabed characterization from bathymetry and backscatter data) and hydrographic features, and the different compartments of the benthic fauna (endobenthic, epibenthic, suprabenthic and demersal communities). For the present study, epibenthos and demersal species were sampled using two different gears, a 3.5 m beam trawl and a Porcupine 39/52 type baca otter trawl respectively. The total species richness combining both samplers ascended to 221, including 71 species of fishes, 65 crustaceans, 35 molluscs, 29 echinoderms, 10 cnidarians and 5 sponges.
Deep-sea Research Part I-oceanographic Research Papers, 2011
A seasonal analysis of deep-sea infauna (macrobenthos) based on quantitative sampling was conduct... more A seasonal analysis of deep-sea infauna (macrobenthos) based on quantitative sampling was conducted over the Catalan Sea slope, within the Bes os canyon (at $ 550-600 m) and on its adjacent slope (at 800 m). Both sites were sampled in February, April, June-July and October 2007. Environmental variables influencing faunal distribution were also recorded in the sediment and sediment/water interface. Dynamics of macrobenthos at the two stations showed differences in biomass/abundance patterns and trophic structures. Biomass was higher inside the Bes os canyon than on the adjacent slope. The community was mostly dominated by surface-deposit feeding polychaetes (Ampharetidae, Paraonidae, Flabelligeridae) and crustaceans (amphipods such as Carangoliopsis spinulosa and Harpinia spp.) inside the canyon, while subsurface deposit feeders (mainly the sipunculan Onchnesoma steenstrupii) were dominant over the adjacent slope. The taxonomic composition in the suprabenthic assemblages of polychaetes, collected on the adjacent slope by a suprabenthic sledge, was clearly different from that collected by the box-corer. The suprabenthic assemblage was dominated by carnivorous forms (mainly Harmothoe sp. and Nephthys spp.) and linked to higher near-bottom turbidity. Inside Bes os a clear temporal succession of species was related to both food availability and quality and the proliferation of opportunistic species was consistent with higher variability in food sources (TOC, C/N, d 13 C) in comparison to adjacent slope. This was likely caused by a greater influence of terrigenous inputs from river discharges. Inside the canyon, Capitellidae, Spionidae and Flabelligeridae, in general considered as deposit feeders, were more abundant in June-July coinciding with a clear signal of terrigenous carbon (depleted d 13 C, high C/N) in the sediments. By contrast, during October and under conditions of high water turbidity and increases of TOM, carnivorous polychaetes (Glyceridae, Onuphidae) increased. Total macrobenthos biomass found over Catalonian slopes were higher than that found in the neighboring Toulon canyon, probably because the two canyons are influenced by different river inputs, connected with distinct terrigenous sources.
Progress in Oceanography, 2007
The community structure of the decapod crustaceans inhabiting Le Danois Bank (Cantabrian Sea, NE ... more The community structure of the decapod crustaceans inhabiting Le Danois Bank (Cantabrian Sea, NE Atlantic Ocean) was studied on two cruises performed in October 2003 and April 2004. Otter and beam-trawls were used to collect this fauna. At depths ranging between 455 and 1048 m, we found distinct decapod assemblages on the bank summit and deeper in the inner basin (between the bank and the continental shelf). The faunal discontinuity between these groups appeared at around 600 m (e.g. between 612 and 642 m in the basis of species replacement). The summit assemblage was characterized by low diversity (in terms of number and relative abundances of species) and by the dominance of hermit crabs (Pagurus alatus, Anapagurus laevis, Pagurus excavatus), the crangonid Pontophilus spinosus and the squat lobster Munida sarsi. Species characterizing the deeper assemblage, which was richer in terms of diversity, were Munida tenuimana, Parapagurus pilosimanus, Pontophilus norvegicus, the crab Geryon trispinosus and a number of bathypelagic shrimps (Sergia robusta, Acanthephyra pelagica and Pasiphaea tarda). Changes in decapod composition characterized by multidimensional scaling analyses were correlated with different variables, e.g. %mud and %organic matter (OM), temperature and salinity close to the bottom. Among those the %OM and %mud in sediments affected decapod distributions the most. The summit of the bank was covered by fine sediments with low proportion of mud (13.9-29.3%) and OM (2.55-3.50%). By contrast, sediment of the inner basin had a higher proportion of OM and mud (64.1-84.2%; 6.26-7.00%, respectively). The low proportion of mud at the summit of Le Danois Bank may explain the absence or scarcity of burrowing species (e.g. the lobster Nephrops norvegicus, the shrimps Calocaris macandreae and Alpheus glaber and the crab Goneplax rhomboides), that are dominant at similar depths (400-500 m) in the upper muddy assemblage on the mainland-continental slope in the Bay of . The dominance of certain species on the summit of submarine mounts can probably be related to their biology and feeding ecology. For example, pagurids are deposit feeders, even consuming marine snow (e.g. Chl-a identified in guts of Pagurus alatus), and they have low gut fullness (probably indicating a capacity to withstand long periods under starvation), that would favour their adaptability to a rather unpredictable habitat such as Le Danois Bank summit. Regarding prey availability, zooplankton/micronekton and infauna distributed around Le Danois Bank showed different 0079-6611/$ -see front matter Ó
Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2006
Two years after the Prestige oil spill (POS) an assessment of the effects on benthic fauna was ca... more Two years after the Prestige oil spill (POS) an assessment of the effects on benthic fauna was carried out using the data obtained in five multidisciplinary surveys. Otter trawl, beam trawl, suprabenthic sled and box corer were used to study the main benthic compartments, along eight transects perpendicular to the coastline. Beam trawl was also employed to quantify the amount of tar aggregates on the continental shelf. No significant correlations between tar aggregates and species richness, biomass and diversity of benthic communities were found. This result was corroborated when the role of depth, season, latitude and sediment characteristics was examined by canonical ordination, in which POS-related variables had low influence on spatial distribution patterns. Depth and sediment grain diameter profoundly influence epibenthic communities. Sediment organic content is a third key variable for the infaunal, suprabenthic and lower-sized epibenthic communities, but not for the larger epibenthic communities. Nevertheless, a decrease in the densities of several epibenthic indicators was detected the first year after spill, followed by a noteworthy recovery in 2004. Non-macroscopic toxicity and some oceanographic agents are suggested as possible causes of these shifts.
Deep-sea Research Part I-oceanographic Research Papers, 2007
The trophic relationships of decapod crustaceans on Le Danois bank (NE of Iberian Peninsula, NE A... more The trophic relationships of decapod crustaceans on Le Danois bank (NE of Iberian Peninsula, NE Atlantic Ocean) were studied within the framework of the multidisciplinary project ECOMARG during two surveys, one in October 2003 and the other in April 2004. The diets of eleven species of decapods were analyzed and, within a rather continuous gradient of food source exploitation, 3 trophic groups were identified: (1) plankton feeders, comprising the shrimps Acanthephyra pelagica, Sergia robusta, and Pasiphaea tarda, which preyed on meso-bathypelagic taxa such as euphausiids and calanoids; (2) benthos feeders, comprising the crangonids Pontophilus norvegicus and Pontophilus spinosus, the crab Geryon trispinosus and the shrimp Aristeus antennatus; and (3) an intermediate group, including the rest of species, with mixed diets that included detritus. Among the third group, anomurans (Munida tenuimana, Pagurus alatus, and Parapagurus pilosimanus) consumed phytoplanktonic detritus in April, suggesting a link with peaks of surface Chl a occurring between March and April in the study area. Gut pigment and isotopic (d 13 C/d 15 N correlations) analyses revealed that assemblages inhabiting the top of the bank (455-612 m) and the inner basin (642-1048 m, close to the Lastres canyon head) had different food sources, with species inhabiting the deepest region exhibiting a stronger dependence on marine snow derivatives. These results are consistent with the higher proportion of mud and sediment organic matter (OM) content in the inner basin (82.2% pellites; 6.3% OM at 1028 m) compared to the top of the Le Danois bank (only 13.9% pellites; 2.8% OM at 485 m), which is a hydrodynamically more active zone. Exploitation of different food sources is also consistent with differences in the trophic level of species, inferred from stable d 15 N isotope analyses, which yield values ranging from 6.88% for the hermit crab P. alatus to 13.52% for the crangonid shrimp P. norvegicus. Stomach fullness was higher in April 2004 than in October 2003, both between and within species of the dominant decapods, including detritus feeders (M. tenuimana) and benthos feeders (e.g. G. trispinosus, P. norvegicus). Most species exhibited a parallel increase in their density in April 2004, with a significant positive correlation between density and stomach fullness. This increase coincides with a peak of surface Chl a concentration occurring in March-April. r
Journal of Marine Systems, 2008
Spatial distribution patterns of epibenthic communities on the Galician continental shelf were st... more Spatial distribution patterns of epibenthic communities on the Galician continental shelf were studied using multivariate methods. Data came from 5 surveys carried out in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Beam trawls and otter trawls were used to study epibenthic communities along 8 transects perpendicular to the coastline. The role of depth, season, latitude and sediment characteristics was examined. Seven habitats were described according to bathymetry and sediment characteristics. There were weak linear relationships between environmental variables and species richness, biomass and species diversity. However, the canonical analysis showed that depth and sediment characteristics greatly influence smaller epibenthic communities sampled by beam trawl. Six assemblages were obtained for beam trawls: inner shelf mud, very fine sands, and fine sands, middle shelf sands, and outer shelf very fine sands, and fine sands. Five assemblages were identified for larger-sized and swimming epibenthos sampled with otter trawls. These assemblages were also determined according to depth and sediment type but sediment characteristics were less important. Otter trawl assemblages were the same as the beam trawl ones, except for on the outer shelf where no differences between sediment type were detected. For both gears, inner and outer shelf assemblages displayed a higher biotic variability than the middle shelf, as a consequence of a higher environmental heterogeneity. Typifying species were mainly eurytopic in the middle shelf, whereas eurytopic and stenotopic species characterised the inner and outer shelves.
Information is critical to Ecosystem Approach and to research about Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems/... more Information is critical to Ecosystem Approach and to research about Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems/Habitats (VME/Hs), fishing impacts on habitats and ad-hoc management measures are high-priority. Therefore, this paper presents the ECOVUL/ARPA Interdisciplinary Approach, a case study of methodology for the identification of VME/Hs in order to advise on conservation measures such as marine protected areas (MPAs). By means of an interactive process involving Conventional Fisheries Science, Geomorphology, Sedimentology and Benthic Ecology, the methodology developed under the ECOVUL/ARPA project, has been useful in order to contribute to define practical criteria to the identification of VME/Hs, to improve the knowledge about VME/Hs distribution and the adverse impacts of bottom trawl fisheries and to produce high quality advice on habitat protection. Applying an interdisciplinary approach, the project identified the deep-water bottom trawl fishery footprint on the Hatton Bank Western slope (NEAFC Regulatory Area), mapped the main fishing grounds and related seabed habitats and studied the interactions between fishing and cold-water corals. This approach was used to suggest, with high level of precision, the spatial limits of an area closed to bottom fishing, as an essential conservation measure to protect the cold-water corals in the framework of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries management. We present here the methods used, the main results obtained and discuss on the utility of this approach and the possibilities to apply it in the NAFO Regulatory Area, with the aim to advise on measures for reducing the interactions of bottom fishing with sensitive high-seas habitats and to contribute to implement the UNGA recommendations about habitat conservation.
Ices Journal of Marine Science, 2009
ABSTRACT Research into vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) on the high seas and the impacts of bo... more ABSTRACT Research into vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) on the high seas and the impacts of bottom fishing and ad hoc management measures are high priority today thanks to UN General Assembly Resolution 61/105. An interdisciplinary methodology (specifically designed for selecting cold-water coral protection areas) and a case study focused on the Hatton Bank (NE Atlantic) are presented. This interdisciplinary approach, developed under the ECOVUL/ARPA project, was based on conventional fisheries science, geomorphology, benthic ecology, and sedimentology. It contributes to de. ning practical criteria for identifying VMEs, to improving knowledge of their distribution off Europe's continental shelf, and to providing advice on negative fishing impacts and habitat protection. The approach was used to identify the bottom-trawl deep-sea fishery footprint on the western slope of Hatton Bank, to map the main fishing grounds and related deep-sea habitats (1000-1500 m deep), and to study the interactions between fisheries and cold-water corals. The results lead to a proposal to close the outcrop area (4645 km(2)) located on the western slope of Hatton Bank as a conservation measure for cold-water corals.
Journal of Marine Systems, 2008
The purpose of this paper is to detect and describe general trends in the spatial distribution of... more The purpose of this paper is to detect and describe general trends in the spatial distribution of epibenthic and demersal communities of Le Danois Bank (El Cachucho) in relation to the environmental variables that characterize their habitat by means of multivariate ordination. Data were derived from two multidisciplinary surveys carried out in October 2003 and April 2004 included in the ECOMARG project. The surveys were focused on the study of the physical scenario, including both geological (seabed characterization from bathymetry and backscatter data) and hydrographic features, and the different compartments of the benthic fauna (endobenthic, epibenthic, suprabenthic and demersal communities). For the present study, epibenthos and demersal species were sampled using two different gears, a 3.5 m beam trawl and a Porcupine 39/52 type baca otter trawl respectively. The total species richness combining both samplers ascended to 221, including 71 species of fishes, 65 crustaceans, 35 molluscs, 29 echinoderms, 10 cnidarians and 5 sponges.