Publication Abstract

Benthic communities, ecosystems and fisheries

 

Benthic communities, ecosystems and fisheries

 H.L. Rees*, J.R. Ellis*, K. Hiscock, S.E. Boyd* and M. Schratzberger*

 

This chapter provides an historical and contemporary overview of the marine benthos in UK continental shelf waters and the relationship to fish and fisheries management. A description of the nature and role of the benthos is followed by an assessment of what is currently known of its character as a classifiable entity and its macroscale distribution in UK waters. The nature of the interaction between benthic communities and fish and commercial shellfish is then explored in greater detail, including considerations of habitat complexity, spawning grounds and trophic links. Accounts are provided of present efforts towards the production of highresolution maps of marine habitats and communities, and of developing interests in the study of benthic microbial processes. In both cases, their potential utility in the development of an ecosystem approach to marine management is highlighted. Finally, the impacts of a range of anthropogenic influences on threatened benthic habitats and communities, including those arising from commercial trawls and dredges, are considered in relation to current and future environmental protection measures.

H.L. Rees*, J.R. Ellis*, K. Hiscock, S.E. Boyd* and M. Schratzberger*

In Advances in Fisheries Science. 50 years on from Beverton and Holt (A.I.L. Payne, A.J. Cotter and E.C.E. Potter, eds.), pp. 358–398. Blackwell Oxford. xxi + 547 pp.