K. Ramsay

Responses of benthic scavengers to fishing disturbance by towed gears in different habitats

The aggregation and feeding behaviour of invertebrate scavengers in areas disturbed by trawling was investigated at three different localities. At each site a fishing disturbance was created using a commercial 4 m beam trawl and scavenger density was quantified using a light beam trawl. At one site two diver surveys were also carried out; along a line fished with a scallop dredge or a beam trawl on two separate occasions. For all experiments the fished and adjacent unfished control areas were sampled before, and at intervals after, the initial fishing disturbance. Sampling with the light beam trawl revealed that hermit crabs Pagurus bernhardus moved into areas which had been fished with a 4 m beam trawl at an experimental site near Anglesey. The density of these hermit crabs increased significantly in the fished area after fishing had taken place, but no change in density occurred in the adjacent control (unfished) area. At two other sites (Red Wharf Bay, Anglesey and a site offshore from Walney Island) there were no detectable increases in scavenger numbers in the fished areas. Furthermore, at the site near Walney Island, numbers of hermit crabs P. bernhardus, swimming crabs Liocarcinus depurator and starfish Asterias rubens actually decreased after fishing. Thus the responses of scavengers to towed fishing gears varied considerably between different communities. At Red Wharf Bay, divers observed similar responses of scavengers to both beam trawl and scallop dredge disturbance. Four predatory species were observed feeding in the fished area; starfish A. rubens, hermit crabs P. bernhardus, brittlestars Ophiura ophiura and whelks Buccinum undatum. These predators fed on damaged bivalves, echinoderms, crustaceans, whelks and polychaetes. The proportion of starfish feeding in the fished area was significantly higher after fishing had taken place. Demersal fishing activities provide food for scavengers in the form of damaged animals which are left in the tracks of the trawl or dredge. The responses of scavengers to fishing disturbance are not always manifested as a large increase in their abundance. It is clear that the magnitude of response varies between species and between habitat types.

Benthic disturbance by fishing gear in the Irish Sea: a comparison of beam trawling and scallop dredging

1.?The distribution of effort for the most frequently used mobile demersal gears in the Irish Sea was examined and their potential to disturb different benthic communities calculated. Fishing effort data, expressed as the number of days fished, was collated for all fleets operating in the Irish Sea in 1994. For each gear, the percentage of the seabed swept by those parts of the gear that penetrate the seabed was calculated. 2.? For all gears, the majority of fishing effort was concentrated in the northern Irish Sea. Effort was concentrated in three main locations: on the muddy sediments between Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man (otter and Nephrops trawling); off the north Wales, Lancashire and Cumbrian coast (beam trawling); the area surrounding the Isle of Man (scallop dredging). 3.?In some areas, e.g. between Anglesey and the Isle of Man, the use of scallop dredges and beam trawls was coincident. A comparative experimental study revealed that scallop dredges caught much less by-catch than beam trawls. Multivariate analysis revealed that both gears modified the benthic community in a similar manner, causing a reduction in the abundance of most epifaunal species. 4.? Although beam trawling disturbed the greatest area of seabed in 1994, the majority of effort occurred on grounds which supported communities that are exposed to high levels of natural disturbance. Scallop dredging, Nephrops and otter trawling were concentrated in areas that either have long-lived or poorly studied communities. The latter highlights the need for more detailed knowledge of the distribution of sublittoral communities that are vulnerable to fishing disturbance. ©British Crown Copyright 1996.

Demersal fishing disturbance increases predation risk for whelks (Buccinum undatum L.)

Abstract Field observations by divers indicated that a high rate of predation of whelks ( Buccinum undatum ) by starfish ( Asterias rubens ) occurred in an area disturbed by scallop dredging, although these whelks mostly appeared to be alive and externally undamaged. The ability of whelks to escape from starfish was tested in the laboratory after they were dropped or rolled to simulate direct physical contact with bottom fishing gear. Dropping whelks did not significantly affect their escape behaviour, but whelks which had been rolled took significantly longer to right themselves and were significantly less likely to perform an escape response than whelks that had not experienced this treatment. This study suggests that demersal fishing may indirectly increase whelk mortality by increasing their risk of predation.

Can shell scars on dog cockles (Glycymeris glycymeris L.) be used as an indicator of fishing disturbance

Abstract The use of shell damage records as an in situ indicator of past fishing disturbance was investigated using the dog cockle Glycymeris glycymeris L. Shell sections of dog cockles collected from four areas subjected to varying levels of fishing disturbance were examined for the presence of damage records or shell ‘scars’. Animals from a heavily fished area had significantly higher levels of scarring than those from three lightly fished areas. From an estimation of the age of the shells (from internal growth lines and dating of each line), the year in which scarring occurred was determined and this was compared to yearly records of fishing effort. There was a weak but significant positive correlation between the frequency of shell scars per year and the intensity of fishing effort. Our data suggest that whilst scarring in shells of G. glycymeris cannot accurately be used to estimate past fishing intensity on a year-by-year basis, it can be used to differentiate between severely impacted and lightly fished areas of the sea bed.

Small-scale variation within a Modiolus modiolus (Mollusca: Bivalvia) reef in the Irish Sea. II. Epifauna recorded by divers and cameras

The spatial heterogeneity of epifauna on a Modiolus modiolus reef off north-west Wales was investigated using divers. The community associated with these horse mussels was similar to that described previously from Loch Creran and the north basin of Strangford Lough. Some differences in epifauna may be attributable to the less sheltered nature of the site. Modiolus modiolus numbers and the associated epifaunal community were significantly different between ridge and trough sub-habitats. Troughs can be considered ‘reduced’ ridge communities whereas ridges have high densities of horse mussels and certain sessile taxa were correlated with their abundance. Modiolus modiolus aggregation as a competitive response to the feeding environment, enhanced food availability on ridges and sediment deposition amongst mussel clumps may start to explain the undulating bed-form. Patchiness in community composition and periodic cover by ophuroids has implications when considering the monitoring of the horse mussel community. Stratified, in situ recording of the highly populated ridges could improve the statistical sensitivity of monitoring horse mussel reefs whilst simultaneously focusing on the more sensitive indicators of fishing threats.

Causes of shell scarring in dog cockles Glycymeris glycymeris L.

Abstract Experimental studies were conducted to investigate the possible causes of shell scars in the bivalve mollusc Glycymeris glycymeris , including fishing disturbance, predator attacks and burrowing activity. Individuals collected from an area of sea bed experimentally fished once by a scallop dredge 12 months previously did not display significantly more shell scars than those collected before fishing or from a control area. In the laboratory, Glycymeris offered to the predatory crab Cancer pagurus had a significantly higher incidence of scars seen in acetate peels of shell cross-sections than control shells. However, scarring on Glycymeris excavated from the sediment and left to reburrow was not significantly different from those in an undisturbed control group. Currently, it is not possible in G. glycymeris to differentiate between scars caused by fishing disturbance or natural disturbances, either on the grounds of visual appearance or position of damage.

A link between predator density and arm loss in the starfish Marthasterias glacialis and Asterias rubens.

Arm loss in two species of starfish Marthasterias glacialis and Asterias rubens (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) was recorded at eight sites in Lough Hyne, south-west Ireland. There was a significant positive correlation between the density of predators ( Luidia ciliaris (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) and Cancer pagurus (Crustacea: Brachyura)) and arm loss in both species of starfish. The results suggest that predators may be responsible for a significant proportion of observed arm loss in these two species of starfish in Lough Hyne.

Mantis shrimps Rissoides desmaresti in Tremadog Bay, North Wales

In 1999 divers discovered a population of the burrowing mantis shrimp Rissoides (Meiosquilla) desmaresti (Crustacea: Stomatopoda) east of the St Tudwals Islands, North Wales. This species has only sporadically been recorded in UK waters and commonly occurs in the Mediterranean. In summer 2000 the burrow morphology and distribution of these shrimps in the area east of the St Tudwals Islands was investigated. Burrows were found at ten of the 15 sites investigated in a survey area measuring ∼18 km 2 . Burrow density varied from one to 11 burrows per 100 m 2 . The burrows were always recorded in sediments consisting of a mixture of mud, sand and gravel but were not present at sites with a high proportion of mud (> 70%) or sandy sediments with very little mud (≤2%). Resin casts of six burrows revealed that these have a simple elongated U-shape, with an average length of ∼ 450 mm and depth of ∼ 160 mm. The average diameter of the burrow entrance was 19 ±2 mm and the diameter of the burrow along the horizontal section varied between 18 and 38 mm with a distinct constriction part way along.