Conservation and management implications of deep-sea coral and fishing effort distributions in the Northeast Pacific Ocean

Abstract

Abstract. The conservation of deep-sea corals is of growing interest in the UnitedStates. A range of issues including biodiversity protection, conservation of seafloor habitats, and the role of deep-sea corals as essential fish habitat places greater significance on understanding the distributions of these corals and fishing activities. At the same time overfishing of some groundfish populations highlights the need for ecosystem-based management. Here we present records of habitat-forming deepsea corals from the United States Pacific Fishery Management Council region that we analyze in relation to differential ecological impacts of demersal fishing gears. We use an ecological footprint approach combining groundfish catch by gear type with a previously published ecological severity ranking of fishing gears.Deep-sea corals in the Isididae, Paragorgiidae, Primnoidae, Antipathidae and Stylasteriidae families are widespread throughout their depth ranges in the Northeast Pacific, although the scleractinian families Oculinidae and Caryophylliidae are relatively rare. In this qualitative analysis, we highlight areas of relatively high coral concentration such as the West Coast continental shelf break and Monterey submarine canyon, areas that are presently relatively lightly fished but where corals are recorded. Bottom trawling gear has far and away the regionʼs largest ecological footprint. Other gears with smaller footprints include bottom longline, pot/trap and hook and line gear. Most of these impacts seem to have occurred in areas where deep-sea corals are relatively scarce, but fishing closures to protect rockfish implemented in 2002 may have the unfortunate effect of redistributing fishing effort to areas of deep-sea coral aggregations. An ecosystem-based management approach would detect and prevent such unintended consequences of redistributing fishing effort and placing deep-sea corals in harmʼs way.

New records of cold‐water coral sites and fish fauna characterization of a potential network existing in the Mediterranean Sea

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Variability in growth rates of long-lived black coral Leiopathes sp. from the Azores

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Predictive habitat model for deep gorgonians needs better resolution: Reply to Etnoyer & Morgan

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