Discovery of Sabellaria spinulosa reefs in an intensively fished area of the Dutch Continental Shelf, North Sea

Abstract

The tube-building polychaete Sabellaria spinulosa (Ross worm) can form conspicuous biogenic reefs that stabilize the seabed and increase biodiversity by providing a habitat for a multitude of other species. These reefs, however, are assumed to be vulnerable to human-induced physical disturbances of the seabed. In the Greater North Sea, S. spinulosa reefs are recognized to be under threat and worthy of protection. In August 2017, three S. spinulosa reefs with a minimum extent of 1016 m 2 were discovered in the Dutch Brown Bank area. This area comprises a large-scale sandbank and adjacent troughs. The reefs were found within the sandbank troughs, which have proven to be subject to high demersal fishing intensities (fished > 5 times a year). Detailed bathymetry measurements showed that S. spinulosa reefs were mainly located within valleys of smaller-scaled sand waves, which have a perpendicular orientation compared to the large-scale sandbank structure of the Brown Bank. We hypothesize that the valleys in between sand waves offer suitable substrate for settlement and refuge from abrasion by fishing activities, enabling the S. spinulosa reefs to persist despite high fishing intensities. ROV footage of the reefs showed higher estimates of species abundances on the reefs compared with adjacent habitats, with some species present that are typical for hard substrate (rock gunnel, Pholis gunnellus; edible crab, Cancer pagurus; and velvet swimming crab, Necora puber). The information presented could be used for drafting management policies to protect these reefs, as Contracting Parties of the OSPAR Convention are committed to take measures and protect biodiversity.

Seafloor Classification in a Sand Wave Environment on the Dutch Continental Shelf Using Multibeam Echosounder Backscatter Data

“…Now we investigate to what extent MBES backscatter data can be used to classify the sediments over megaripples. This is of particular interest for detailed habitat mapping [34], engineering projects such as offshore wind farms or pipe laying [22], and for modelers of sand waves who study the morphology, hydrodynamics, and sand transport at the seafloor [1,24]. In the previous sections it is found that higher acoustic classes correspond to sediments with a larger proportion of coarse sediments in this study area.…”

Biogeomorphology in the marine landscape: Modelling the feedbacks between patches of the polychaete worm Lanice conchilega and tidal sand waves

“…2015) and sand banks (Van der Reijden et al . 2019), it has been shown that tube‐building worms are significantly more abundant in the troughs than on the crests, although it should be noted that the study by van der Reijden et al . (2019) focused on the tube‐building worm Sabellaria spinulosa .…”

“…2018; Van der Reijden et al . 2019). At the same time, benthos may modify their physical habitat (Eckman et al .…”

Role of Reef-Building, Ecosystem Engineering Polychaetes in Shallow Water Ecosystems

“…Increase surface heterogeneity of the bottom and enlarges landscape complexity [45,46] Mediterranean Sea; Adriatic coast (Italy)…”