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Species composition of demersal fish in the Rockall Trough, north-eastern Atlantic, as determined by different trawls

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2009

J. D. M. Gordon
Affiliation:
Scottish Marine Biological Association, Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory, PO Box 3, Oban, Argyll, PA34 4AD
O. A. Bergstad
Affiliation:
Scottish Marine Biological Association, Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory, PO Box 3, Oban, Argyll, PA34 4AD

Extract

The variation in species composition of continental slope fishes as determined by the catches of different trawls towed either on single or paired warps was analysed by Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA). The catches of two trawls, a semi-balloon trawl (OTSB) and a Granton trawl (GT) were very similar when towed on paired warps. Significant differences were found between the catches of the OTSB trawl towed on single and paired warps. The DCA effectively provided information on the important gradients, e.g. depth, trawl type, and indicated which species were most abundant in the different depth zones and trawl types. Detailed accounts of the abundance and biomass of different species by trawl type and depth zone are given and the observed pattern of distribution discussed.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 1992

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