Seafloor recovery from fishing gear impacts in Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary slow, unstable
Friday, April 22, 2011 - 12:30
in Earth & Climate
The University of Connecticut and California State University researchers found that seafloor communities in a restricted fishing area in NOAA's Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary showed indications of recovery from chronic fishing gear impacts but is not fully stable. The finding is significant because bottom trawlers, dredges and certain gillnets, for example, can alter the ocean floor and benthic ecosystems that provide food and shelter for fish and other marine species.