The Fate of Deep-Sea Coral Reefs on Seamounts in a Fishery-Seascape: What Are the Impacts, What Remains, and What Is Protected?

Williams, Alan; Althaus, Franziska; Maguire, Kylie; Green, Mark; Untiedt, Candice; Alderslade, Philip; Clark, Malcolm R.; Bax, Nicholas J.; Schlacher, Thomas A.

doi:10.3389/fmars.2020.567002

Cited by 24 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…line fishers that target coastal ledges) and artisanal (e.g. woven trap fishers that focus on offshore pinnacles) fishers because they are aggregation sites, which concentrate desired fish species in great numbers (Borland et al., 2017; Forcada et al., 2010; Nilsson & Ziegler, 2007; Stamoulis et al., 2018; Williams et al., 2020). Seafloor terrain features that are characterized by high relief and complexity also support productive fisheries and typically yield larger catches (per unit effort) of target species than areas of comparatively homogenous bathymetry (Bouchet et al., 2017; Fonseca et al., 2017; March et al., 2014; Salarpouri et al., 2018).…”

Section: Humans Modify Seafloor Terrain With Consequences For Fish and Fisheriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of seafloor terrain on fish and fisheries: A global synthesis

et al. 2021

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The structure of seafloor terrain affects the distribution and diversity of animals in all seascapes. Effects of terrain on fish assemblages have been reported from most ecosystems, but it is unclear whether bathymetric effects vary among seascapes or change in response to seafloor modification by humans. We reviewed the global literature linking seafloor terrain to fish species and assemblages (96 studies) and determined that relief (e.g. depth), complexity (e.g. roughness), feature classes (e.g. substrate types) and morphology (e.g. curvature), have widespread effects on fish assemblages. Research on the ecological consequences of terrain have focused on coral reefs, rocky reefs, continental shelves and the deep sea (n ≥ 20 studies), but are rarely tested in estuaries (n = 7). Fish associate with a variety of terrain attributes, and assemblages change with variation in the depth and aspect of bathymetric features in reef and shelf seascapes, and in the deep sea. Fish from different seascapes also respond to distinct metrics, with fluctuations in slope of slope (coral reefs), rugosity (rocky reefs) and slope (continental shelves, deep sea) each linked to changes in assemblage composition. Terrain simplification from coastal urbanization (e.g. dredging) and resource extraction (e.g. trawling) can reduce fish diversity and abundance, but assemblages can also recover inside effective marine reserves. The consequences of these terrain changes for fish and fisheries are, however, rarely measured in most seascapes. The key challenge now is to examine how terrain modification and conservation combine to alter fish distributions and fisheries productivity across diverse coastal seascapes.

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Section: Humans Modify Seafloor Terrain With Consequences For Fish and Fisheriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of seafloor terrain on fish and fisheries: A global synthesis

et al. 2021

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“…Seamounts z16 and Hill U were determined to have the largest spatial extent of stony coral reef in the region (Williams et al, 2020a) and relatively low trawling impact. In contrast, Pedra and Sisters seamounts have sparse extent of coral reef cover and relatively heavy trawling impact (Williams et al, 2020b). These differing habitats and stony coral densities enable us to examine the 'trade-offs' and implications of using different classification schemes in varying settings.…”

Section: Case Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Advancements in camera technology and imaging platforms have also facilitated the acquisition of higher quality imagery, enabling more accurate species identification (Durden et al, 2016;Schoening et al, 2016;Clark et al, 2019). There are a variety of deep sea studies using benthic imagery and encompassing a broad range of objectives including biodiversity assessments (Thresher et al, 2014;Auscavitch et al, 2020;Lapointe et al, 2020;Salinas-de-León et al, 2020), identification of vulnerable marine ecosystems (VME) (FAO, 2009;Jones and Lockhart, 2011;Dautova et al, 2019;Baco et al, 2020;Williams et al, 2020a), marine protected area (MPA) planning (Davies et al, 2017) and monitoring and recovery studies related to activities such as fishing (Althaus et al, 2009;Clark et al, 2019;Baco et al, 2020;Williams et al, 2020b) and potential seabed mining (Boschen-Rose et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying Black Corals and Octocorals From Deep-Sea Imagery for Ecological Assessments: Trade-Offs Between Morphology and Taxonomy

et al. 2021

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An increased reliance on imagery as the source of biodiversity data from the deep sea has stimulated many recent advances in image annotation and data management. The form of image-derived data is determined by the way faunal units are classified and should align with the needs of the ecological study to which it is applied. Some applications may require only low-resolution biodiversity data, which is easier and cheaper to generate, whereas others will require well-resolved biodiversity measures, which require a larger investment in annotation methods. We assessed these trade-offs using a dataset of 5 939 images and physical collections of black and octocorals taken during surveys from a seamount area in the southwest Pacific Ocean. Coral diversity was greatly underestimated in images: only 55 black and octocoral ‘phototaxa’ (best-possible identifications) were consistently distinguishable out of a known 210 species in the region (26%). Patterns of assemblage composition were compared between the phototaxa and a standardized Australian classification scheme (“CATAMI”) that uses morphotypes to classify taxa. Results were similar in many respects, but the identities of dominant, and detection of rare but locally abundant, coral entities were achieved only when annotation was at phototaxon resolution, and when faunal densities were recorded. A case study of data from 4 seamounts compared three additional classification schemes. Only the two with highest resolution – phototaxon and a combined phototaxon-morphological scheme – were able to distinguish black and octocoral communities on unimpacted vs. impacted seamounts. We conclude that image annotation schemes need to be fit-for-purpose. Morphological schemes such as CATAMI may perform well and are most easily standardized for cross-study data sharing, but high resolution (and more costly) annotation schemes are likely necessary for some ecological and management-based applications including biodiversity inventory, change detection (monitoring) – and to develop automated annotation using machine learning.

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“…Analysis of image data also helped refine a method for quantifying the spatial extent of VMEs (Williams et al, 2020b). A model prediction of suitable habitat for coral reefs in the Tasmanian area was much greater than the area of coral reef estimated from imagery.…”

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Image Data Give New Insight into Life on the Seafloor

Althaus¹,

Untiedt²,

Maguire³

2021

Oceanog

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Vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) are typically identified through detection of indicator taxa and predictive models of their distribution. In the deep sea, analysis of seafloor imagery generates quantitative data that underpin studies of the distribution of VMEs such as cold-water coral communities. The vulnerability of cold-water corals to bottom trawling makes assessment of their distribution and biodiversity a priority for marine spatial management. Some of the most diverse and globally significant cold-water coral communities are associated with clusters of seamounts off the coast of Tasmania, several of which are enclosed by two offshore Australian Marine Parks.

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The Fate of Deep-Sea Coral Reefs on Seamounts in a Fishery-Seascape: What Are the Impacts, What Remains, and What Is Protected?

Cited by 24 publications

References 40 publications

The influence of seafloor terrain on fish and fisheries: A global synthesis

The influence of seafloor terrain on fish and fisheries: A global synthesis

Identifying Black Corals and Octocorals From Deep-Sea Imagery for Ecological Assessments: Trade-Offs Between Morphology and Taxonomy

Image Data Give New Insight into Life on the Seafloor

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