Relationship between Razor Clam Fishing Intensity and Potential Changes in Associated Benthic Communities

Carvalho, Susana; Constantino, R.; Pereira, Fábio; Ben-Hamadou, Radhouan; Gaspar, Miguel B.

doi:10.2983/035.030.0217

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…Fisheries that use bottom‐contact gears are the most widespread source of anthropogenic physical disturbance to global continental‐shelf seabeds (Eigaard et al., ). Subtidal bottom fishing gears include otter trawls, widely used to target gadoids, flatfishes and prawns (Henry et al., ; Sanchez, Demestre, Ramon, & Kaiser, ), beam trawls used to target flatfishes on sandy bottoms (Kaiser et al., ; Rijnsdorp et al., ), towed dredges used to target scallops or other bivalve molluscs on sandy and gravelly bottoms (Carvalho, Constantinom, Pereira, Ben‐Hamadou, & Gaspar, ; Hinz, Murray, Malcolm, & Kaiser, ) and hydraulic dredges used to target deep‐burrowing bivalves (Hall & Harding, ; van den Heiligenberg, ). Intertidal gears include hand spades, used to dig up species such as polychaetes and bivalves (Dernie, Kaiser, & Warwick, ) and rakes, which are operated manually (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of benthic fauna to experimental bottom fishing: A global meta‐analysis

et al. 2018

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Bottom‐contact fishing gears are globally the most widespread anthropogenic sources of direct disturbance to the seabed and associated biota. Managing these fishing disturbances requires quantification of gear impacts on biota and the rate of recovery following disturbance. We undertook a systematic review and meta‐analysis of 122 experiments on the effects‐of‐bottom fishing to quantify the removal of benthos in the path of the fishing gear and to estimate rates of recovery following disturbance. A gear pass reduced benthic invertebrate abundance by 26% and species richness by 19%. The effect was strongly gear‐specific, with gears that penetrate deeper into the sediment having a significantly larger impact than those that penetrate less. Sediment composition (% mud and presence of biogenic habitat) and the history of fishing disturbance prior to an experimental fishing event were also important predictors of depletion, with communities in areas that were not previously fished, predominantly muddy or biogenic habitats being more strongly affected by fishing. Sessile and low mobility biota with longer life‐spans such as sponges, soft corals and bivalves took much longer to recover after fishing (>3 year) than mobile biota with shorter life‐spans such as polychaetes and malacostracans (<1 year). This meta‐analysis provides insights into the dynamics of recovery. Our estimates of depletion along with estimates of recovery rates and large‐scale, high‐resolution maps of fishing frequency and habitat will support more rigorous assessment of the environmental impacts of bottom‐contact gears, thus supporting better informed choices in trade‐offs between environmental impacts and fish production.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of benthic fauna to experimental bottom fishing: A global meta‐analysis

et al. 2018

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“…Conversely, Sousa Leitao and Gaspar [10] reported that the effect of using two types of gear (harvesting knife and hand dredge) has very slight and similar immediate impacts on the harvesting of Cerastoderma edule by Linnaeus. However, studies by Carvalho et al [8]. in same area (Lagos, South Portugal), but on the subtidal zone, reveal an immediate negative impact on the macrofauna as a result of fishing of the razor clam Ensis siliqua by Linnaeus.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…Nevertheless, many studies show that, in the intertidal zone, manual or mechanical harvesting of target intertidal bivalves may cause strong disturbances and negative effects on the benthic infauna communities, i.e. significant decrease in the number of taxa or/and abundance of the macrofauna due to fishing activities [5][6][7][8][9]. Conversely, Sousa Leitao and Gaspar [10] reported that the effect of using two types of gear (harvesting knife and hand dredge) has very slight and similar immediate impacts on the harvesting of Cerastoderma edule by Linnaeus.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Immediate Effect of Clam Harvesting on Intertidal Benthic Communities in the Mudflat Zones of Kneiss Islands (Central Mediterranean Sea)

Mosbahi¹,

Pezy²,

Dauvin³

et al. 2016

J Aquac Res Development

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“…Accordingly, a relatively greater mortality can be expected from the direct physical interaction with the gear (Bergman & Van Santbrink 2000), compared with indirect effects from the mobilization of sediments. For that reason many experimental fishing studies have reported a decline in the density (Hall et al 1990, Thrush et al 1995, Carvalho et al 2011, species richness (Hall et al 1990, Thrush et al 1995, Dolmer et al 2001, Carvalho et al 2011, and biomass (Carvalho et al 2011) of macrofauna in the days after fishing impact.…”

Section: Direct Effects Of the Light Dredgementioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental Effects of a Lightweight Mussel Dredge on Benthic Fauna in a Eutrophic MPA

Bromhall

Dinesen

McLaverty

et al. 2022

Journal of Shellfish Research

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Dredging for wild mussels Mytilus edulis Linnaeus, 1758 takes place in marine protected areas (Natura 2000 sites) in Denmark. The fishery is strictly regulated to limit the impact of dredging to the benthic environment, and requires the use of modified lightweight mussel dredges. Nevertheless, the depletion of the benthic macrofauna associated with M. edulis beds after impact from such dredges is yet to be quantified. Here, dredging is shown to result in a significant decline in the density, species richness, and biological traits directly in the dredge track but no significant impact on the community composition. Species richness remained significantly affected 4 mo post dredging, although the positive trend after 4 mo may signal recovery. An effect of dredging was also detected in areas adjacent (approximately 5 m) to the dredge tracks, but needs further investigation to understand this impact. The results provide an estimate of benthic macrofaunal depletion in the dredge track as well as of the short-term recovery, which may be of use in the management of the fishery. Finally, it is suggested that species richness may be a more sensitive indicator than density in a eutrophic and species-poor system.

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Relationship between Razor Clam Fishing Intensity and Potential Changes in Associated Benthic Communities

Cited by 8 publications

References 77 publications

Response of benthic fauna to experimental bottom fishing: A global meta‐analysis

Response of benthic fauna to experimental bottom fishing: A global meta‐analysis

Immediate Effect of Clam Harvesting on Intertidal Benthic Communities in the Mudflat Zones of Kneiss Islands (Central Mediterranean Sea)

Experimental Effects of a Lightweight Mussel Dredge on Benthic Fauna in a Eutrophic MPA

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