Large-scale impacts of bottom trawling on shelf primary productivity

Disturbance of the seabed resulting from bottom trawling affects ecosystem processes, such as the rate and magnitude of nutrient regeneration. The potential responses of the plankton community arising from such effects can be modelled, provided that reliable data on the effects on nutrient fluxes ar...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Continental shelf research 2007-10, Vol.27 (17), p.2198-2210
Main Authors: Dounas, Costas, Davies, Ian, Triantafyllou, George, Koulouri, Panayota, Petihakis, George, Arvanitidis, Christos, Sourlatzis, George, Eleftheriou, Anastasios
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bottom trawling
Ecosystem disturbance
Marine
Modelling
Nutrient recycling
Nutrient releases
Primary production
Resuspension
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Summary:Disturbance of the seabed resulting from bottom trawling affects ecosystem processes, such as the rate and magnitude of nutrient regeneration. The potential responses of the plankton community arising from such effects can be modelled, provided that reliable data on the effects on nutrient fluxes are available. In a north Cretan outer continental shelf and upper slope fishing ground (Heraklion Bay, Crete, Eastern Mediterranean) we applied a new field instrument which can simulate the passage of trawl groundropes across the sea floor and made direct seasonal measurements of the rate of dissolved and particulate nutrient releases resulting from seabed disturbance. These observational data were then integrated in a 3D ecosystem model. Results revealed that bottom trawling may trigger off considerable productivity pulses, in addition to pulses from the natural seasonal cycle.
ISSN:0278-4343
1873-6955
DOI:10.1016/j.csr.2007.05.006