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«Уязвимые морские экосистемы» и близкие понятия в практике управления морским природопользованием: концепции, терминология и возможности приложения к сохранению морской среды и биологических ресурсов. “Vulnerable marine ecosystems” and related notions in the practice of marine environmental management: conceptions, terminology and possibilities of application for the conservation of the marine environment and biological resources of the Russian seas.
Abstract
This paper discusses the concept of vulnerable marine ecosystems (VME) developed by Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO), in particular for protection of marine environment and resources in the areas beyond national jurisdictions. VME is a regulatory notion. From the ecological standpoint, it includes in most cases only part of integral marine ecosystem, i.e. bottom biotopes and communities forming by habitat-making organisms (aedificators), such as deep-water corals, sponges, mollusks and some other taxa building biogenic structures. Usage of the term VME and other notions, similar in meaning but not completely overlapping (such as Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas, Vulnerable Habitats or Biotopes, Essential Fish Habitats, Habitat Areas of Particular Concern) are determined by traditions and task of the international and national institutions that have introduced them. The term VME is recommended to use generally with regards to meeting the FAO criteria. For marine biotopes and communities with significant contribution of biogenic structures, meeting at least some of five FAO criteria and regardless of jurisdiction, the term Vulnerable Biotopes is recommended. The approaches to identification of VME and vulnerable biotopes in the international fisheries areas, and in the EEZs of Norway and USA (Bering Sea) are reviewed. Using the VME concept in the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Standard for sustainable fisheries is discussed. Vulnerable bottom biotopes are considered in the context of the assessment of the fisheries impact in the Barents and other Russian seas. There is a need of gradual introduction of the concept of vulnerable benthic biotopes into Russian fisheries and marine management on the basis of development of integrated management plans for marine areas.
... Особый упор сделан на изучение глубоководных биотопов бассейна Пауэлла и проверку предположения о том, что поднятия склона Антарктического полуострова и хребта Филип представляют местообитания организмов-индикаторов уязвимых морских экосистем (УМЭ). Критериями для выделения УМЭ являются уникальность, функциональная значимость, хрупкость (или уязвимость) по отношению к антропогенному воздействию, структурная сложность и особенности жизненных циклов отдельных видов, осложняющие восстановление экосистемы [8]. В настоящее время ведется большая работа по выявлению УМЭ и их защите. ...
... Одна из важнейших задач 79-го рейса НИС "Академик Мстислав Келдыш" состояла в документации индикаторов уязвимых морских экосистем (УМЭ) в исследованном районе. Ранее на части Южно-Оркнейского плато был создан первый в Антарктике охраняемый природный район [22,58], а в море Скотия и в районе Антарктического полуострова выделен ряд участков, отвечающих критериям УМЭ ФАО [8,23]. В ходе 79-го рейса НИС "Академик Мстислав Келдыш" нами отмечено значительное число видов-индикаторов УМЭ на шельфе и в верхней части склона подводных поднятий, окружающих бассейн Пауэлла. ...
During 79th cruise of RV Akademik Mstislav Keldysh twelve trawl hauls were collected in Powell Basin and adjacent area at depths 370–3771 m. The structure of the benthic assemblages was highly variable when considered at the macrotaxon level. The main factors shaping the taxonomical structure of the sampled assemblages were depth, near-bottom current velocities and proportion of the hard fraction of the sediment. Hard substrate assemblages of the Antarctic peninsula slope and Philip Ridge with high percentage of filter-feeders (mainly sponges) were associated with the highest values of the near-bottom tide currents (up to 55.6 cm/s).
In several trawl hauls indicator species of vulnerable marine ecosystems – mainly Demospongiae sponges, deep-sea corals Stylasteridae (Hydrozoa) and Primnoidae (Octocorallia) – were collected
With the development of technical capabilities for the exploration and exploitation of the continental shelf, the desire of coastal states to expand the area of their jurisdiction in the "underwater territory" (the territory of the seabed) increased. Thanks to the activism of the judges of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, the concept of the continental shelf for the purposes of international maritime law has been significantly developed. As a result, the coastal states signatories to the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea were able to establish the outer limit of the continental shelf, which, under certain conditions, can extend even beyond 350 nautical miles from the baseline.
Disputes between states on the continental shelf mainly arise in connection with the need to distinguish between marine areas rich in sources of living and non-living resources. In such cases, it may be necessary to delineate the continental shelf between adjacent States (with a common border) or located opposite each other, i.e. their delimitation under article 83 of the Convention on the Law of the Sea. The subject of the dispute is the external legal boundary of the continental shelf of the state, where it extends beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline of that state (the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles), adjoins the area that is the common heritage of mankind, outside the jurisdiction of any of the states.
On the issue of determining the limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles, the decision of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea of 14.03.2012 "On delimitation of maritime boundary between Bangladesh and Myanmar" is of a precedent value, since no international court has previously addressed this issue.
Understanding the processes that drive the distribution patterns of organisms and the scales over which these processes operate are vital when considering the effective management of species with high commercial or conservation value. In the deep sea, the importance of scleractinian cold-water corals (CWCs) to fish has been the focus of several studies but their role remains unclear. We propose this may be due to the confounding effects of multiple drivers operating over multiple spatial scales. The aims of this study were to investigate the role of CWCs in shaping fish community structure and individual species-habitat associations across four spatial scales in the NE Atlantic ranging from “regions” (separated by > 500 km) to “substratum types” (contiguous). Demersal fish and substratum types were quantified from three regions: Logachev Mounds, Rockall Bank and Hebrides Terrace Seamount (HTS). PERMANOVA analyses showed significant differences in community composition between all regions which were most likely caused by differences in depths. Within regions, significant variation in community composition was recorded at scales of c. 20 – 3500 m. CWCs supported significantly different fish communities to non-CWC substrata at Rockall Bank, Logachev and the HTS. Single-species analyses using generalised linear mixed models showed that Sebastes sp. was strongly associated with CWCs at Rockall Bank and that Neocyttus helgae was more likely to occur in CWCs at the HTS. Depth had a significant effect on several other fish species. The results of this study suggest that the importance of CWCs to fish is species-specific and depends on the broader spatial context in which the substratum is found. The precautionary approach would be to assume that CWCs are important for associated fish, but must acknowledge that CWCs in different depths will not provide redundancy or replication within spatially-managed conservation networks.
Bottom-trawl fisheries are expanding into deeper habitats and higher latitudes, but our understanding of their effects in these areas is limited. The ecological importance of habitat-forming megabenthos and their vulnerability to trawling is acknowledged, but studies on effects are few. Our objective was to investigate chronic effects of otter trawl fishery on substratum and megabenthos on the shelf (50– 400 m) and slope (400– 2000 m) in the southern Barents Sea. The study area represents a wide range in the history of fishing intensity (FI). Physical impact of trawling, density of trawl marks (TMs), was quantified on 250 video transects from shelf and slope, and megabenthos (.2 cm) composition was studied on 149 video transects from the shelf. The number of satellite-recorded vessels within grid cells 5 × 5 km was used as a proxy for FI in the TM analysis and for the megabenthos records within a 2-km radius around the transects. The effects of using different search area sizes were tested. Patterns in the density of TMs and megabenthos composition were compared with FI using linear regression and correspondence analysis. Occurrence of TMs was not directly related to FI but to bottom type, whereas megabenthos density and diversity showed a negative relation. For 79 of the 97 most common taxa, density was negatively correlated with FI. The sponges Craniella zetlandica and Phakellia/Axinella were particularly vulnerable, but also Flabellum macandrewi (Scleractinia), Ditrupa arietina (Polychaeta), Funiculina quadrangularis (Pennatulacea), and Spatangus purpureus (Echinoidea) were negatively correlated with FI, whereas asteroids, lamp shells, and small sponges showed a positive trend. Our results are an important step towards the understanding of chronic effects of bottom trawling and are discussed in relation to the descriptors " Biological diversity " and " Seafloor integrity " in the EU Marine strategic framework directive.
Cold-water coral reefs and adjacent sponge grounds are distributed widely in the deep ocean, where only a small fraction of the surface productivity reaches the seafloor as detritus. It remains elusive how these hotspots of biodiversity can thrive in such a food-limited environment, as data on energy flow and organic carbon utilization are critically lacking. Here we report in situ community respiration rates for cold-water coral and sponge ecosystems obtained by the non-invasive aquatic Eddy Correlation technique. Oxygen uptake rates over coral reefs and adjacent sponge grounds in the Træna Coral Field (Norway) were 9–20 times higher than those of the surrounding soft sediments. These high respiration rates indicate strong organic matter consumption, and hence suggest a local focusing onto these ecosystems of the downward flux of organic matter that is exported from the surface ocean. Overall, our results show that coral reefs and adjacent sponge grounds are hotspots of carbon processing in the food-limited deep ocean, and that these deep-sea ecosystems play a more prominent role in marine biogeochemical cycles than previously recognized.
Damage from bottom-tending fishing gear, especially bottom trawls, represents the greatest immediate threat to rich and diverse deep-sea coral ecosystems in around the world. The United States was an early leader in protecting deepwater coral habitats from fishing impacts. In 2010, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), published a “Strategic Plan for Deep-Sea Coral and Sponge Ecosystems.” Three central objectives of the Strategic Plan aim to reduce adverse impacts of fishing on these ecosystems, building on best international and domestic practices. The Strategic Plan supports area-based (i.e., spatially-explicit) protection of identified areas of high density structure-forming deep-sea corals or sponges. It takes a precautionary approach to “freeze the footprint” of the most damaging fishing activities – those conducted with mobile bottom-tending gears (e.g., bottom trawling), to allow existing fisheries to thrive while preventing expansion into unsurveyed areas that might contain deepwater corals, sponges, and other vulnerable biogenic habitats. Finally, the Plan encourages further evaluation of protection measures on a regional basis, with special emphasis on identifying and reducing bycatch of deep-sea corals and sponges. NOAA’s conservation efforts are supported by the Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program, designed to provide the science necessary to support conservation action, with a particular focus on information needed by NOAA and Regional Fishery Management Councils to understand and manage fisheries impacts.
Beazley, L. I., Kenchington E. L., Murillo, F. J., and Sacau, M. 2013. Deep-sea sponge grounds enhance diversity and abundance of epibenthic megafauna in the Northwest Atlantic. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 70: .
The influence of structure-forming deep-water sponge grounds on the composition, diversity, and abundance of the local epibenthic megafaunal community of the Flemish Pass area, Northwest Atlantic was statistically assessed. These habitats are considered vulnerable marine ecosystems and, therefore, warrant conservation measures to protect them from bottom fishing activities. The epibenthic megafauna were quantified from four photographic transects, three of which were located on the western slope of the Flemish Cap with an overall depth range of 444–940 m, and the fourth in the southern Flemish Pass between 1328 and 1411 m. We observed a diverse megafaunal community dominated by large numbers of ophiuroids and sponges. On the slope of the Flemish Cap, sponge grounds were dominated by axinellid and polymastid sponges, while the deeper sponge ground in the southern Flemish Pass was formed mainly by geodiids and Asconema sp. The presence of structure-forming sponges was associated with a higher biodiversity and abundance of associated megafauna compared with non-sponge habitat. The composition of megafauna significantly differed between sponge grounds and non-sponge grounds and also between different sponge morphologies. Surface chlorophyll a and near-bottom salinity were important environmental determinants in generalized linear models of megafaunal species richness and abundance.
This report draws together scientific understanding of deep-water sponge grounds alongside the threats they face and ways in which they can be conserved. Beginning with a summary of research approaches, sponge biology and biodiversity, the report also gives up-to-date case studies of particular deep-water sponge habitats from around the world. These include the spectacular giant glass sponge reefs of British Columbia – a relic of the time of the dinosaurs – and the diverse sponge kingdom of Antarctica. Long-overlooked, recent research now shows that deep-water sponge grounds form complex, slow-growing and long-lived habitats in many parts of the global ocean. As well as forming local biodiversity centres, deep-water sponges are also storehouses of novel chemical compounds, some of which show promise in the fight against cancer and other diseases. Despite their inherent and biotechnological value, deep-water sponge grounds have been damaged by bottom fishing. This report considers the international policy context in which deep-water sponge grounds can be conserved and concludes with a series of expert recommendations for conservation managers and international policy makers. The recommendations set out a series of actions so that these vulnerable marine ecosystems can be conserved for future generations.
Complex biogenic habitats formed by corals are important components of the megabenthos of seamounts, but their fragility makes them susceptible to damage by bottom trawling. Here we examine changes to stony corals and associated megabenthic assemblages on seamounts off Tasmania (Australia) with different histories of bottom-contact trawling by analysing 64 504 video frames (25 seamounts) and 704 high-resolution images (7 seamounts). Trawling had a dramatic impact on the seamount benthos: (1) bottom cover of the matrix-forming stony coral Solenosmilia variabilis was reduced by 2 orders of magnitude; (2) loss of coral habitat translated into 3-fold declines in richness, diversity and density of other megabenthos; and (3) megabenthos assemblage structures diverged widely between trawled and untrawled seamounts. On seamounts where trawling had been reduced to <5% a decade ago and ceased completely 5 yr ago, there was no clear signal of recovery of the megabenthos; communities remained impoverished comprising fewer species at reduced densities. Differences in community structure in the trawled (as compared to the untrawled) seamounts were attributed to resistant species that survived initial impacts, others protected in natural refugia and early colonisers. Long-term persistence of trawling impacts on deep-water corals is consistent with their biological traits (e.g. slow growth rates, fragility) that make them particularly vulnerable. Because recovery on seamounts will be slow, the benefits from fishery closures may not be immediately recognisable or measureable. Spatial closures are crucial conservation instruments, but will require long-term commitments and expectations of performance whose time frames match the biological tempo in the deep sea.
The benthic macrofauna of a group of small seamounts south of Tasmania was surveyed
with a dredge and camera to assess the impact of trawling for orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus;
Trachichthyidae) and the efficacy of a proposed marine reserve. The seamounts were generally
300 to 600 m high and the peaks ranged from 660 to 1700 m depth. The fauna was diverse: 262 species
of invertebrates and 37 species of fishes were enumerated, compared with 598 species of invertebrates
previously reported from seamounts worldwide. On seamounts that peaked at depths
<1400 m and that had not been heavily fished, the invertebrate fauna was dense, diverse and dominated
by suspension feeders, including a matrix-forming colonial hard coral (Solenosmilia variabilis)
and a variety of hard and soft (gorgonian and antipatharian) corals, hydroids, sponges and suspension-
feeding ophiuroids and sea stars. Of the invertebrate species, 24 to 43% were new to science,
and between 16 and 33% appeared to be restricted to the seamount environment. Trawl operations
effectively removed the reef aggregate from the most heavily fished seamounts. The benthic biomass
of samples from unfished seamounts was 106% greater than from heavily fished seamounts and the
number of species per sample was 46% greater. Living S. variabilis was not found on seamounts
peaking at depths >1400 m. These seamounts were dominated by sea urchins and had lower biomass
and fewer species per sample. However, few species were restricted to either the shallowest or deepest
depths sampled. The fauna unique to the region’s seamounts appears to be adequately represented
within a recently established ‘Marine Protected Area’ that encloses 12 seamounts that peak at
depths >1150 m.
Video imagery was examined to quantify seafloor disturbance and damage to corals and sponges relative to fishing practices in the central Aleutian Islands of Alaska. Corals and sponges were classified as damaged if they had broken skeletons, missing or broken branches, were torn (i.e. sponges) or detached from the seafloor, or were attached but lying on the seafloor. Disturbance was defined as any alteration to the seafloor or biota caused by fishing gear or natural events. Overall, 14% of corals and 21% of sponges were damaged, and disturbance was widespread and evident on most video transects. The proportion of damaged corals was significantly less (p = 0.003) in areas with little or no bottom trawl fishing versus areas with medium and high intensity bottom trawl fish- ing. For other gear types, damage was not significantly different among fishing levels. Damage for all corals was 7% in untrawled areas, 7% in low-intensity areas, 14% in medium-intensity areas, and 49% in high-intensity areas. For gorgonians, 5% were damaged in untrawled areas and 23% were damaged in high-intensity areas. For hydrocorals, damage was 10% in untrawled areas and 53% in medium-intensity areas. Hydrocorals were absent from high-intensity areas. About 40% of sea whips were damaged in high-intensity areas versus 1% in other areas. While some protective measures have been implemented to halt the expansion of bottom trawl fishing to unfished areas, the con- servation of coral and sponge habitat in fished areas is still of primary concern.
The hexactinellid sponge Pheronema carpenteri occurs in high densities (1.5 m· 2) over a narrow bathy metric range (1000-1300 m) in the Porcupine Seabight, to the southwest ofIreland. The possible in fluence of sponge spicule mats, which may cover Yl of the seafloor, on macrobenthic communities is assessed. Three box core samples were coliected from the high density sponge zone (1250 m) and three cores were taken at each of two comparative non-sponge stations (900 and 1500 m). Analysis of data on the abundance and taxonomic composition of major groups of the larger (> 1 mm) mac robenthos suggests that the presence ofsediment surface sponge spicule mats substantially modifies the fauna at the 1250 m station. The numerical abundance of macrobenthos within this station in creases in an almost linear fashion with the volume of spicules present in a sample; in a single sam ple with the highest spicule volume, abundance was nearly an order of magnitude higher than that expected in the absence of spicule mats. The possible nature of sponge-macrobenthos interaction and the wider significance of the results are considered further.
High densities of fishes in aggregations of deep-water corals (e.g., of the genera Primnoa, Paragorgia, Paramuricea) do not necessarily indicate that corals are important habitats in terms of population processes. Frequency dependent distribution
models provide a basis for assessing the role of deep-water corals. It is necessary to understand the overall habitat-related
distributions of fish species, at particular life history stages, in order to assess the particular role of corals. Examining
the landscape for ecologically equivalent habitats is one approach for assessing the importance of coral habitats. Measures
of the functional equivalence of habitats are demonstrated, as an example, for sites from the Gulf of Maine on the northeast
United States continental shelf. Fish census data based on surveys with a remotely operated vehicle in 2003 showed that communities
in habitats dominated by dense corals and dense epifauna were functionally equivalent when compared with five other less complex
habitats (e.g., boulder with sparse coral cover). Comparison of species-individual curves showed that sites with dense coral
and dense epifauna habitats supported only moderate levels of fish diversity when compared with other sites. Further, density
of Acadian redfish (Sebastes fasciatus) in dense coral and dense epifauna habitats, where this species was dominant, was not statistically different but was higher
than an outcrop-boulder habitat with sparse epifauna (the only other site where this species was abundant). Such data suggest
that coral habitats are not necessarily unique but have attributes similar to other important habitats. However, the level
of their importance in the demography of fish populations and communities remains to be demonstrated. Focusing conservation
efforts for deep-water corals on their perceived value to exploited species, without good demographic information on fish
populations, may ultimately leave corals open to destructive fishing practices if new and contrary information emerges. Conservation
efforts for corals, in the absence of explicit ties to managed fish species, might do better emphasizing the intrinsic value
of corals, their slow growth, high sensitivity to disturbance, and the questionable potential for recovery.
Continental margins are dynamic, heterogeneous settings that can include canyons, seamounts, and banks. Two of the largest canyons in the world, Zhemchug and Pribilof, cut into the edge of the continental shelf in the southeastern Bering Sea. Here currents and upwelling interact to produce a highly productive area, termed the Green Belt, that supports an abundance of fishes and squids as well as birds and marine mammals. We show that in some areas the floor of these canyons harbors high densities of gorgonian and pennatulacean corals and sponges, likely due to enhanced surface productivity, benthic currents and seafloor topography. Rockfishes, including the commercially important Pacific ocean perch, Sebastes alutus, were associated with corals and sponges as well as with isolated boulders. Sculpins, poachers and pleuronectid flounders were also associated with corals in Pribilof Canyon, where corals were most abundant. Fishes likely use corals and sponges as sources of vertical relief, which may harbor prey as well as provide shelter from predators. Boulders may be equivalent habitat in this regard, but are sparse in the canyons, strongly suggesting that biogenic structure is important fish habitat. Evidence of disturbance to the benthos from fishing activities was observed in these remote canyons. Bottom trawling and other benthic fishing gear has been shown to damage corals and sponges that may be very slow to recover from such disturbance. Regulation of these destructive practices is key to conservation of benthic habitats in these canyons and the ecosystem services they provide.
The term "biotope" was introduced by a German scientist, Dahl in 1908 as an addition to the concept of "biocenosis" earlier formulated by Möbius (1877). Initially it determined the physical-chemical conditions of existence of a biocenosis ("the biotope of a biocenosis"). Further, both biotope and biocenosis were respectively considered as abiotic and biotic parts of an ecosystem. This notion ("ecosystem = biotope + biocenosis") became accepted in German, French, Russian and other European "continental" ecological literature. The new interpretation of the term ("biotope = habitat + community") appeared in the United Kingdom in the early 1990s while classifying "marine habitats" of the coastal zone. Since then, this meaning was also used in international European environmental documents. This paper examines the evolution of the biotope notion. It is concluded that the contemporary concept is robust and may be used not only for the classification and mapping but also for functional marine ecology and coastal zone management.
The natural environment of the Arctic is changing rapidly owing to climate change. At the same time in many countries including Russia the region is attracting growing attention of decision‐makers and business communities. In light of the above it is necessary to protect the biodiversity of the regional marine ecosystems in the most effective way possible, namely by establishing a network of marine protected areas.
Identifying conservation priority areas is a key step towards this goal. To achieve it, a study based on a systematic conservation planning approach was conducted. An expanded group of experts used the MARXAN algorithm to produce initial results, then discussed and refined them to select 47 conservation priority areas in the Russian Arctic seas.
The resulting network covers nearly 25% of the Russian Arctic seas, which guarantees proportional representation of their biodiversity as well as achieving connectivity, sustainability and naturalness. This was largely made possible by the selected methodology, based on the MARXAN decision support tool supplemented by extensive post‐analysis that helped fill any gaps inevitable in the formal approach.
Although available data were sparse, and of varying quality and a single regionalization scheme could not be used (as is often the case for such areas), the selected approach has proven successful for such a large area that covers both the coastal zone and parts of the High Seas. Such an approach could be used further to identify marine protected areas throughout the Arctic Ocean.
This study examined the relationship between demersal fish distributions and benthic
habitats in the Trænadjupet marine protected area (MPA) on the Norwegian continental shelf.
Using a towed video system, multiple pairs of plots with varying densities of cold-water coral
mounds and sponges were examined, as well as control plots containing neither of these taxa.
A total area of 130000 m2 was surveyed along 16 and 12 linear transects in 2009 and 2010 respectively.
The most numerous demersal fish were Sebastes viviparus and Trisopterus esmarkii,
followed by Brosme brosme, Chimaera monstrosa and Micromesistius poutassou. Analyses indicated
that T. esmarkii and M. poutassou exhibited very general patterns of habitat selection
whereas C. monstrosa, S. viviparus and B. brosme appeared to be more specialized in their selection
of habitat. C. monstrosa was abundant in the sponge-beds and unstructured seabed, and ap -
peared only rarely in the coral habitats. The occurrence of cold-water coral mounds and sponges
seemed to mainly influence the distribution of S. viviparus and B. brosme, which were twice as
abundant in areas with structurally complex sponge and coral habitats than in the unstructured
flat seabed at all spatial scales examined (i.e. <3 m to 2 km). None of the fish species examined in
Trænadjupet were confined to only one of the habitats examined, thus the study confirmed facultative
use of cold-water corals and sponges as fish habitats on the Norwegian continental shelf.
Eight species of sea stars were found in commercially important beds of Iceland scallop, Chlamys islandica, in the southeastern Barents Sea. The population density and size structure of the most abundant species of sea stars were studied in the period 1991-1999. During this period, the density of Asterias rubens increased by a factor of 20-50 and the proportion of large specimens (arm radius >100 mm) increased too. Variations in population density and size structure of other species of sea stars were smaller. A. rubens feeds mainly on molluscs and its population increase was probably related to increased food availability due to damage of bottom fauna by scallop dredging.
This paper examines the importance of hypotheses about fisherman behavior for predicting, understanding, and designing efficient fisheries regulation programs. Particular attention is paid to flexible technology fisheries where individuals are free to alter several dimensions of effort. It is suggested that the appropriate hypothesis of share-focused behavior ensures that there will always be an incentive to combine inputs inefficiently although technical conditions may limit or block the actual ability to do so. Some observations on the success of existing programs are also offered. Key words: fisheries regulation, efficiency, behavior, fishing industry
The first in situ exploration of Aleutian Island coral habitat was completed in 2002 to determine the distribution of corals, to examine fine-scale associations between targeted fish species and corals, and to investigate the interaction between the areas’ diverse fisheries and coral habitat. Corals, mostly gorgonians and hydrocorals, were present on all 25 seafloor transects and at depths between 27 and 363m, but were most abundant between 100 and 200m depth. Mean coral abundance (1.23coloniesm−2) far exceeded that reported for other high-latitude ecosystems and high-density coral gardens (3.85coloniesm−2) were observed at seven locations. Slope and offshore pinnacle habitats characterized by exposed bedrock, boulders, and cobbles generally supported the highest abundances of coral and fish. Overall, 85% of the economically important fish species observed on transects were associated with corals and other emergent epifauna. Disturbance to the seafloor from bottom-contact fishing gear was evident on 88% of the transects, and approximately 39% of the total area of the seafloor observed had been disturbed. Since cold-water corals appear to be a ubiquitous feature of seafloor habitats in the Aleutian Islands, fisheries managers face clear challenges integrating coral conservation into an ecosystem approach to fisheries management.
To help identify fishery management actions that minimize the adverse impacts of fishing activities on corals in Alaska, the distribution and abundance of corals were analyzed based on trawl survey data collected during 1975–1998. We also examined the species of commercially managed fish that are associated with coral. Soft corals, primarily Gersemia sp. (=Eunephthya sp.), were the most frequently encountered corals in the Bering Sea. In the Aleutian Islands gorgonian corals, primarily in the genera Callogorgia, Primnoa, Paragorgia, Thouarella, and Arthrogorgia were the most common corals. In the Gulf of Alaska, gorgonian corals, primarily in the genera Callogorgia and Primnoa, and cup corals, primarily `Scleractinia unidentified', occurred most frequently. The Aleutian Islands area appears to have the highest abundance and diversity of corals. Some fish groups are associated with particular types of coral. Rockfish (Sebastes spp. and Sebastolobus alascanus) and Atka mackerel (Pleurogrammus monopterygius) were the most common fish captured with gorgonian, cup, and hydrocorals, whereas flatfish and gadids were the most common fish captured with soft corals.
A substantial theoretical and experimental literature has focused on the conditions under which cooperative behavior among actors providing public goods or extracting common-pool resources arises. The literature identifies the importance of coercion, small groups of actors, or the existence of social norms as conducive to cooperation. This research empirically investigates cooperative behavior in a natural resource extraction industry in which the provision of a public good (bycatch avoidance) in the Alaskan flatfish fishery is essential to the duration of the fishing season, and an information provision mechanism exists to relay information to all individuals. Using a mixed logit model of spatial fishing behavior our results show that conditionally cooperative behavior is prevalent but deteriorates as bycatch constraints tighten.
Сеть перспективных для охраны морских районов в российской Арктике // Тр. VI Межд. науч. -практ. конф
- Б А Соловьев
- Д М Глазов
- Н Г Платонов
- В А Спиридонов
- С С Мухарамова
- А А Савельев
- С Е Беликов
- М В Гаврило
- Д В Добрынин
- Ю В Краснов
- И А Онуфреня
- Г М Тертицкий
- Н В Чернова
Соловьев Б. А., Глазов Д. М., Платонов Н. Г., Спиридонов В. А., Мухарамова С. С., Савельев А. А.,
Беликов С. Е., Гаврило М. В., Добрынин Д. В.,
Краснов Ю. В., Онуфреня И. А., Тертицкий Г. М.,
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