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Two new species of Crellidae Dendy, 1922 from the east coast of Canada are described. The first is Crella (Pytheas) cutis sp. nov., a massively encrusting species of Crella (Pytheas) collected from depths of 84 to 249 m in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and on the Scotian Shelf. The second is Crellomima mehqisinpekonuta sp. nov., a thinly encrusting sponge found at diving depths in the Bay of Fundy. We also report the first records of Crellomima derma Hentschel, 1929 from outside the type locality (Barents Sea). All known species of Crellomima are reviewed based on type material.

AIM: To characterize the functional diversity and selected ecological functions of marine epibenthic invertebrate communities at the ecosystem scale and to evaluate the relative contributions of environmental filtering, including bottom‐contact fishing, and competitive interactions to benthic community assembly. LOCATION: Flemish Cap, an ecosystem production unit and fishing bank in the high seas of the north‐west Atlantic Ocean. METHODS: Through the use of Hierarchical Modelling of Species Communities (HMSC), we have explored seven community response traits to the environment applied to 105 epibenthic species and evaluated the influence of such traits on the community assembly processes. Assumed bioturbation, nutrient cycling and habitat provision functions, linked to individual or a combination of biological traits, were mapped using random forest modelling. RESULTS: Functional richness within benthic communities reached an asymptote for trawl sets with roughly more than 30 species. Assemblages on top of the Flemish Cap (

Este artículo contiene 13 páginas, 3 figuras, 4 tablas., Deep-sea sponge grounds are vulnerable marine ecosystems, which through their benthic-pelagic coupling of nutrients, are of functional relevance to the deep-sea realm. The impact of fishing bycatch is here evaluated for the first time at a bathyal, sponge-dominated ecosystem in the high seas managed by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization. Sponge biomass surfaces created from research survey data using both random forest modeling and a gridded surface revealed 231,140 t of sponges in the area. About 65% of that biomass was protected by current fisheries closures. However, projections of trawling tracks estimated that the sponge biomass within them would be wiped out in just 1 year by the current level of fishing activity if directed on the sponges. Because these sponges filter 56,143 ± 15,047 million litres of seawater daily, consume 63.11 ± 11.83 t of organic carbon through respiration, and affect the turnover of several nitrogen nutrients, their removal would likely affect the delicate ecological equilibrium of the deep-sea benthic ecosystem. We estimated that, on Flemish Cap, the economic value associated with seawater filtration by the sponges is nearly double the market value of the fish catch. Hence, fishery closures are essential to reach sponge conservation goals as economic drivers cannot be relied upon., This research has been performed within the scope of the SponGES project, which received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 679849. This document reflects only the authors’ views and the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. The EU groundfish surveys in the NAFO area were co-funded by the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO), the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), the Spanish Institute for Marine Research Superior Council of Scientific Investigations (IIM-CSIC) and the European Union through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) within the National Program of collection, management and use of data in the fisheries sector and support for scientific advice regarding the Common Fisheries Policy. AC is supported by Program Investigador (IF/00029/2014/CP1230/CT0002) from FCT. This study had also the support of Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), through the strategic projects UID/MAR/04292/2013 granted to MARE. Fisheries and Oceans, Canada provided support through their International Governance Strategy project funds (Science Advice in Support of the 2020 NAFO Review of Closed Areas to Protect Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems in the NRA) to EK.

Shallow-water sponges are often cited as being ‘climate change winners’ due to their resiliency against climate change effects compared to other benthic taxa. However, little is known of the impacts of climate change on deep-water sponges. The deep-water glass sponge Vazella pourtalesii is distributed off eastern North America, forming dense sponge grounds with enhanced biodiversity on the Scotian Shelf off Nova Scotia, Canada. While the strong natural environmental variability that characterizes these sponge grounds suggests this species is resilient to a changing environment, its physiological limitations remain unknown, and the impact of more persistent anthropogenic climate change on its distribution has never been assessed. We used Random Forest and generalized additive models to project the distribution of V. pourtalesii in the northwest Atlantic using environmental conditions simulated under moderate and worst-case CO2 emission scenarios. Under future (2046-2065) climate change, the suitable habitat of V. pourtalesii will increase up to 4 times its present-day size and shift into deeper waters and higher latitudes, particularly in its northern range where ocean warming will serve to improve the habitat surrounding this originally sub-tropical species. However, not all areas projected as suitable habitat in the future will realistically be populated, and the reduced likelihood of occurrence in its core habitat on the Scotian Shelf suggests that the existing Vazella sponge grounds may be negatively impacted. An effective monitoring programme will require tracking changes in the density and distribution of V. pourtalesii at the margins between core habitat and where losses and gains were projected.

Correction to:Scientific Reportshttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-52250-1, published online 01 Novenber 2019 The original version of this Article contained errors in the Abstract. “Sponge biomass surfaces created from research survey data using both random forest modeling and a gridded surface revealed 231,140 t of sponges in the area. About 65% of that biomass was protected by current fisheries closures.” now reads: “Sponge biomass surface created from research survey data using random forest modeling revealed 231,136 t of sponges in the area. About 42% of that biomass was protected by current fisheries closures.” This error has now been corrected in the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.

The deep sea plays a critical role in global climate regulation through uptake and storage of heat and carbon dioxide. However, this regulating service causes warming, acidification and deoxygenation of deep waters, leading to decreased food availability at the seafloor. These changes and their projections are likely to affect productivity, biodiversity and distributions of deep-sea fauna, thereby compromising key ecosystem services. Understanding how climate change can lead to shifts in deep-sea species distributions is critically important in developing management measures. We used environmental niche modelling along with the best available species occurrence data and environmental parameters to model habitat suitability for key cold-water coral and commercially important deep-sea fish species under present-day (1951–2000) environmental conditions and to project changes under severe, high emissions future (2081–2100) climate projections (RCP8.5 scenario) for the North Atlantic Ocean. Our models projected a decrease of 28%–100% in suitable habitat for cold-water corals and a shift in suitable habitat for deep-sea fishes of 2.0°–9.9° towards higher latitudes. The largest reductions in suitable habitat were projected for the scleractinian coral Lophelia pertusa and the octocoral Paragorgia arborea, with declines of at least 79% and 99% respectively. We projected the expansion of suitable habitat by 2100 only for the fishes Helicolenus dactylopterus and Sebastes mentella (20%–30%), mostly through northern latitudinal range expansion. Our results projected limited climate refugia locations in the North Atlantic by 2100 for scleractinian corals (30%–42% of present-day suitable habitat), even smaller refugia locations for the octocorals Acanella arbuscula and Acanthogorgia armata (6%–14%), and almost no refugia for P. arborea. Our results emphasize the need to understand how anticipated climate change will affect the distribution of deep-sea species including commercially important fishes and foundation species, and highlight the importance of identifying and preserving climate refugia for a range of area-based planning and management tools., ATLAS, A Trans-AtLantic Assessment and deep-water ecosystem-based Spatial management plan for Europe, SI

Little information exists on the environmental requirements of sponges from the Canadian Arctic, increasing the necessity to establish baseline distribution data on sponge assemblages to predict their susceptibility to climate change. Here we describe the sponge taxa of Hudson Strait, Ungava Bay, Western Davis Strait and Western Baffin Bay collected by Canadian research vessel trawl surveys. A total of 2026 sponge specimens were examined, and 93 different taxa were identified with 79% identified to species, of which 2 are new to science, 1 recorded for the first time in the North Atlantic, 16 are new records for the northwest Atlantic, and 10 are new records for the Baffin Bay, Davis Strait and Hudson Strait sponge fauna. Taxonomic distinctness was higher north of Cape Dyer and south of Davis Strait, whereas the number of species reached a maximum in Davis Strait, which represents the southern distribution limit of the arctic sponge fauna along the slope in this region. Five sponge species assemblages were identified, some of which have been observed elsewhere, suggesting that they may be common to the North Atlantic and at the generic level to the global oceans. Two of the Baffin Bay−Davis Strait assemblages were characterized by large structure-forming astrophorids: one, with arctic species, found at mid-water depths in Baffin Bay and the other, characterized by boreal species, was found deeper, south of Davis Strait. Another assemblage characterized by glass and carnivorous sponges was found along the continental slope of western Baffin Bay. Candidate target indicator species are provided for future sponge community monitoring.

The structure, composition and distribution of epibenthic invertebrate assemblages on the Tail of the Grand Bank of Newfoundland and Flemish Cap (northwest Atlantic) were sampled using depth-stratified trawls. Faunal analysis of 152 uniquely identified taxa produced hierarchical synoptic tables of species associations with diagnostic indicators based on species fidelity. Twelve spatially coherent epibenthic megafaunal assemblages were identified, each with relatively sharp faunal boundaries and unique species attributes. These assemblages were shown a posteriori through ANOSIM to have statistically different species compositions, and were nested within three major regional-scale faunal groups: (I) the continental shelf of the Tail of the Grand Bank, typified by the sea cucumber Cucumaria frondosa and the sand dollar Echinarachnius parma ; (II) the upper slope of the Grand Bank and top of Flemish Cap, typified by the sponges Radiella hemisphaerica and Iophon piceum and the sea star Ceramaster granularis ; and (III) the lower slope of the Grand Bank and Flemish Cap, typified by the sea urchin Phormosoma placenta , and the sea pens Anthoptilum grandiflorum and Funiculina quadrangularis. Comparisons with literature on benthic species associations from a half century ago suggest that the assemblages identified herein have persisted in the area at least for decades. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) identified a well-defined biological gradient along the first axis with very high species turn-over. Ten environmental variables (including Trawling Intensity) were significantly correlated with the ordinated data. At one extreme the continental shelf faunal group (I) was associated with shallow depth (mostly, less than 200 m), coarse sediments and cold and fresh water associated with the Labrador Current. At the other extreme the lower slope faunal group (III; stations below 500–600 m throughout the study area) was strongly associated with deep water, muddy sediments, and warmer and saltier water. Conditional tests under a step-wise model identified the percentage of mud as having the greatest explanatory power (40%) of the tested environmental variables. Trawling Intensity explained 11% of the variation in the full data set in marginal tests. Species richness in the deep water assemblages (Cluster III) was significantly and negatively correlated with fishing intensity. The species most directly associated with high trawling intensity in the DCA were the hard-shelled scavenging and predatory gastropods and a thick-shelled bivalve, consistent with expectations based on the trawling impact literature. Our study fills a critical knowledge gap in this important fishing area, and our novel regional-scale maps of the epibenthic assemblages will facilitate the development of ecosystem-based models linking benthic and pelagic systems and inform biodiversity conservation.

Deep-sea coral aggregations represent important ecosystems in the Flemish Cap, where some areas have been closed to bottom fisheries by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization in order to implement conservation and management measures and prevent significant adverse impacts on Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs). Flemish Cap is an offshore Bank located about 600 km to the east of Newfoundland, separated from the Grand Banks by the Flemish Pass, a channel approximately 1200 m deep. 40 taxa of corals were identified in the area from bottom trawl research vessel surveys (2006-2015) and rock dredges (2009-2010). They included 22 Alcyonacea, 11 Pennatulacea, 3 Antipatharia and 4 Scleractinia. Corals identified were classified according to their biological traits in an attempt to better understand their function in the ecosystem. This study analyzes which biological traits were useful to classify corals in the Flemish Cap and Flemish Pass prioritizing traits where information is available and that capture variation for a range of biological or ecological processes. This study represents a baseline classification, quantifying trait variation among species, for further studies such as habitat suitability models or impact studies from trawl fisheries and oil and gas exploitation, which represent the main potential human activities in the area.

We examined four species of sea pen (Anthoptilum grandiflorum, Halipteris finmarchica, Pennatula aculeata and Pennatula grandis) collected from the Gulf of St. Lawrence and mouth of the Laurentian Channel, eastern Canada. An exponential length–weight relationship was found for all four species, where growth in weight was progressively greater than growth in length with increasing colony size. Halipteris finmarchica, P. grandis and P. aculeata presented the better allometric fits, explaining over 80% of the variance. In addition, a count of growth increments visible in transverse sections in 86 A. grandiflorum and 80 P. aculeata samples was made. Presumed ages ranged between 5 and 28 years for A. grandiflorum and 2 and 21 years for P. aculeata. Radiocarbon assays were inconclusive and could not be used to confirm these ages; further age validation is required. Radial growth of the rod is slow during the first years, increasing at intermediate sizes of the colony and slowing down again for large colonies. Similar results were obtained from the relationship between colony length and number of growth increments where a logistic model was the best fit to the data. On average Spearman’s rank correlations showed 11% of shared variance between sea pen length or weight and environmental variables. Bottom temperature and salinity, depth and summer primary production were significantly correlated to sea pen size for most species., This project was funded by Fisheries and Oceans Canada through an International Governance Strategy (IGS) project awarded to EK. FJM was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (Visiting Fellowship Programme).

Emerald Basin on the Scotian Shelf off Nova Scotia, Canada, is home to a globally unique aggregation of the glass sponge Vazella pourtalesi, first documented in the region in 1889. In 2009, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) implemented two Sponge Conservation Areas to protect these sponge grounds from bottom fishing activities. Together, the two conservation areas encompass 259 km2. In order to ascertain the degree to which the sponge grounds remain unprotected, we modelled the presence probability and predicted range distribution of V. pourtalesi on the Scotian Shelf using random forest modelling on presence-absence records. With a high degree of accuracy the random forest model predicted the highest probability of occurrence of V. pourtalesi in the inner basins on the central Scotian Shelf, with lower probabilities at the shelf break and in the Fundian and Northeast Channels. Bottom temperature was the most important determinant of its distribution in the model. Although the two DFO Sponge Conservation Areas protect some of the more significant concentrations of V. pourtalesi, much of its predicted distribution remains unprotected (over 99%). Examination of the hydrographic conditions in Emerald Basin revealed that the V. pourtalesi sponge grounds are associated with a warmer and more saline water mass compared to the surrounding shelf. Reconstruction of historical bottom temperature and salinity in Emerald Basin revealed strong multi-decadal variability, with average bottom temperatures varying by 8 ̊C. We show that this species has persisted in the face of this climatic variability, possibly indicating how it will respond to future climate change. &nbsp

Deep-water sponges are considered ecosystem engineers, and the presence of large aggregations of these organisms, commonly referred to as sponge grounds, is associated with enhanced biodiversity and abundance of epibenthic fauna compared to non-sponge habitat. However, the degree and magnitude to which the presence of these sponge grounds elicits large changes in composition of the associated megafaunal community remains unknown. Here we identify the external drivers of epibenthic megafaunal community composition and explore the patterns and magnitude of compositional change in the megafaunal community within the sponge grounds of the Sackville Spur, northwest Atlantic. Epibenthic megafauna were quantified from five image transects collected on the Sackville Spur in 2009 between 1080 and 1723 m depth. Using Gradient Forest Modelling we found that the abundance of structure-forming sponges was the most important variable for predicting compositional patterns in the Sackville Spur megafaunal community, followed by depth, range in bottom current speed, in situ salinity, and longitude. Along the gradient in structure-forming sponge abundance, the largest turnover in megafaunal community composition occurred when the sponges reached 15 individuals m−2. Examination of the regional hydrographic conditions suggests that the dense sponge grounds of the Sackville Spur are associated with a warm, salty water mass that occurs between ~1300 and 1800 m.

In reply to the United Nations General Assembly Resolutions on sustainable fisheries, Spain, either by itself or in collaboration with other Nations, has been carrying out studies on vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) in the high seas of the Atlantic Ocean (areas beyond national jurisdictions) since 2005. Such studies provide advice to the Spanish Government, the Regional Fisheries Management Organizations and the European Union. This paper presents the multidisciplinary methodology used and summarises the following management results: (i) contribution to identification of cold-water corals and provision of evidence to close part (∼16,000 km2) of the Hatton Bank (NE Atlantic) to bottom fishing; (ii) compilation of an international data base to identify VMEs on the slopes of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, Flemish Pass, and Flemish Cap (NW Atlantic) and to redefine areas currently closed to fishing; (iii) improvement of knowledge about deepwater ecosystems on Walvis Ridge and adjacent seamounts (SE Atlantic) as a pilot project for implementation in this region; and (iv) identification of VMEs and closure of an area (∼41,300 km2) on the high seas of the SW Atlantic. Also discussed are progress and challenges related to identifying and protecting VMEs.

The effects of deep-sea bottom longlining on fish communities and the benthic ecosystem, as well as the interactions between fishing and seabirds, were studied based on data collected from a joint collaboration between the Spanish Institute of Oceanography and a longliner, carried out on the Hatton Bank area (north-east Atlantic) in 2008. A total of 38 longline sets were distributed mainly along the rugged bottom of the rocky outcrop at depths ranging from 750 to 1500 m. Deep-water sharks and lotids were predominant in the catches contributing respectively 80.4% and 13.1% in terms of weight. Deep-water sharks were predominant in the discards. By-catch of cold-water corals and small glass sponges occurred along the western flank of the Hatton Bank, while large hexactinellids were found along the eastern flank. Longlines fished the adult fraction of vulnerable deep-water sharks and lotids. High catches per unit effort values for these species were obtained in coral areas. A combination of seabird-scaring streamer lines and other measures of preventing seabird by-catch were used. Only one fulmar was captured and it survived. Data on distribution of marine litter and derelict deep-sea gillnets are also presented.

A new pycnogonid species of the genus Pycnogonum is described from Flemish Cap (Northwest Atlantic Ocean) at 1453-1462 m depth. Pycnogonum bamberi sp. nov. is compared with its congeners, from which it can be distinguished by the combination of a glans-shaped proboscis, the low, transverse ridges that lie on the dorsodistal surfaces of the first coxae and femora of all legs and the distinctive conical tubercle on the mid-dorsal surface of the fourth segment of the trunk.

The United Nations General Assembly Resolution 61/105, concerning sustainable fisheries in the marine ecosystem, calls for the protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems (VME) from destructive fishing practices. Subsequently, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) produced guidelines for identification of VME indicator species/taxa to assist in the implementation of the resolution, but recommended the development of case-specific operational definitions for their application. We applied kernel density estimation (KDE) to research vessel trawl survey data from inside the fishing footprint of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Regulatory Area in the high seas of the northwest Atlantic to create biomass density surfaces for four VME indicator taxa: large-sized sponges, sea pens, small and large gorgonian corals. These VME indicator taxa were identified previously by NAFO using the fragility, life history characteristics and structural complexity criteria presented by FAO, along with an evaluation of their recovery trajectories. KDE, a non-parametric neighbour-based smoothing function, has been used previously in ecology to identify hotspots, that is, areas of relatively high biomass/abundance. We present a novel approach of examining relative changes in area under polygons created from encircling successive biomass categories on the KDE surface to identify ‘‘significant concentrations’’ of biomass, which we equate to VMEs. This allows identification of the VMEs from the broader distribution of the species in the study area. We provide independent assessments of the VMEs so identified using underwater images, benthic sampling with other gear types (dredges, cores), and/or published species distribution models of probability of occurrence, as available. For each VME indicator taxon we provide a brief review of their ecological function which will be important in future assessments of significant adverse impact on these habitats here and elsewhere., SI

Deep-sea sponge grounds provide structurally complex habitat for fish and invertebrates and enhance local biodiversity. They are also vulnerable to bottom-contact fisheries and prime candidates for Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem designation and related conservation action. This study uses species distribution modeling, based on presence and absence observations of Geodia spp. and sponge grounds derived from research trawl catches, as well as spatially continuous data on the physical and biological ocean environment derived from satellite data and oceanographic models, to model the distribution of Geodia sponges and sponge grounds in the Northwest Atlantic. Most models produce excellent fits with validation data although fits are reduced when models are extrapolated to new areas, especially when oceanographic regimes differ between areas. Depth and minimum bottom salinity were important predictors in most models, and a Geodia spp. minimum bottom salinity tolerance threshold in the 34.3-34.8 psu range was hypothesized on the basis of model structure. The models indicated two currently unsampled regions within the study area, the deeper parts of Baffin Bay and the Newfoundland and Labrador slopes, where future sponge grounds are most likely to be found.

The influence of structure-forming deep-water sponge grounds on the composition, diversity, and abundance of the local epibenthic megafaunal community of the Flemish Pass area, Northwest Atlantic was statistically assessed. These habitats are considered vulnerable marine ecosystems and, therefore, warrant conservation measures to protect them from bottom fishing activities. The epibenthic megafauna were quantified from four photographic transects, three of which were located on the western slope of the Flemish Cap with an overall depth range of 444–940 m, and the fourth in the southern Flemish Pass between 1328 and 1411 m. We observed a diverse megafaunal community dominated by large numbers of ophiuroids and sponges. On the slope of the Flemish Cap, sponge grounds were dominated by axinellid and polymastid sponges, while the deeper sponge ground in the southern Flemish Pass was formed mainly by geodiids and Asconema sp. The presence of structure-forming sponges was associated with a higher biodiversity and abundance of associated megafauna compared with non-sponge habitat. The composition of megafauna significantly differed between sponge grounds and non-sponge grounds and also between different sponge morphologies. Surface chlorophyll a and near-bottom salinity were important environmental determinants in generalized linear models of megafaunal species richness and abundance., Sí

Distributions of deep-sea fish, benthic invertebrates and the effects of deep-sea bottom trawling were studied based on data collected in 2005 from a joint collaboration survey undertaken between the Spanish Institute of Oceanography and a deep-sea trawler on the Hatton Bank (north-east Atlantic). A total of 163 valid bottom trawl hauls (600–1600 m) were analysed. The main trawlable grounds were located on the sedimentary seabed of the western flank of the bank (Hatton Drift). Grenadiers and smoothheads were predominant in the trawl catches (67% and 11.8% by weight respectively). Both species were abundant along the western flank. Deep-water sharks accounted for 7.4% of weight, and were abundant along the south-eastern slopes. Chimerids, lotids, morids and other deep-sea species were also taken as by-catch. Grenadiers and deep-water sharks dominated the discards. By-catches of cold-water corals were generally associated with the rocky outcrop and were more abundant at the top of the bank. Abundant by-catches of large sponges, characteristic of sponge-dominated biotopes, were taken from the eastern flank., Sí

Distribution and species composition of deep-sea sponge grounds of the Flemish Cap, Flemish Pass and the Grand Banks of Newfoundland are described based on Spanish/EU bottom trawl groundfish surveys between 40 and 1500 m depth. Four areas with large catches of sponges and at least 30 different species have been identified in the study area. Geodia barretti, Geodia macandrewii, Geodia phlegraei, Stryphnus ponderosus and Stelletta normani are the main structural sponges and constitute more than 94% of the total invertebrate biomass of these grounds. The temperature and salinity observed over these bottoms ranged between 3.38 and 3.84°C and between 34.85 and 34.90‰, respectively. The biomass of deep-water sponges per swept area was significantly higher on lightly or untrawled bottoms than in the grounds that are regularly fished. Data from trawl groundfish surveys cannot map the deep-sea sponge grounds to a precision less than the trawl distance of 1.5 nm. Nevertheless it has been used by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), along with additional Canadian data, to implement the 61/105 United Nations General Assembly Resolution in closing six areas to bottom fishing activities to protect the sponge grounds of the NAFO Regulatory Area.

The distribution of deep-water corals of the Flemish Cap, Flemish Pass, and the Grand Banks of Newfoundland is described based on bycatch from Spanish/EU bottom trawl groundfish surveys between 40 and 1500 m depth. In all, 37 taxa of deep-water corals were identified in the study area: 21 alcyonaceans (including the gorgonians), 11 pennatulaceans, 2 solitary scleractinians, and 3 antipatharians. The greatest diversity of coral species was on the Flemish Cap. Corals were most abundant along the continental slope, between 600 and 1300 m depth. Soft corals (alcyonaceans), sea fans (gorgonians), and black corals (antipatharians) were most common on bedrock or gravel, whereas sea pens (pennatulaceans) and cup corals (solitary scleractinians) were found primarily on mud. The biomass of deep-water corals in the bycatches was highest in previously lightly trawled or untrawled areas, and generally low in the regularly fished grounds. The information derived from bottom-trawl bycatch records is not sufficient to map vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) accurately, but pending more detailed habitat mapping, it provides a valuable indication of the presence/absence of VMEs that can be used to propose the candidate areas for bottom fishery closures or other conservation measures., Sí

Durán Muñoz, P., Sayago-Gil, M., Cristobo, J., Parra, S., Serrano, A., Díaz del Rio, V., Patrocinio, T., Sacau, M., Murillo, F. J., Palomino, D., and Fernández-Salas, L. M. 2009. Seabed mapping for selecting cold-water coral protection areas on Hatton Bank, Northeast Atlantic. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 2013–2025. Research into vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) on the high seas and the impacts of bottom fishing and ad hoc management measures are high priority today thanks to UN General Assembly Resolution 61/105. An interdisciplinary methodology (specifically designed for selecting cold-water coral protection areas) and a case study focused on the Hatton Bank (NE Atlantic) are presented. This interdisciplinary approach, developed under the ECOVUL/ARPA project, was based on conventional fisheries science, geomorphology, benthic ecology, and sedimentology. It contributes to defining practical criteria for identifying VMEs, to improving knowledge of their distribution off Europe's continental shelf, and to providing advice on negative fishing impacts and habitat protection. The approach was used to identify the bottom-trawl deep-sea fishery footprint on the western slope of Hatton Bank, to map the main fishing grounds and related deep-sea habitats (1000–1500 m deep), and to study the interactions between fisheries and cold-water corals. The results lead to a proposal to close the outcrop area (4645 km2) located on the western slope of Hatton Bank as a conservation measure for cold-water corals.

We analyze the morphological and genetic variability within and between seven species of Acesta and specimens recently collected in the northwest Atlantic using traditional morphological measurements, landmark-based geometric morphometrics, and the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequences, with particular emphasis on North Atlantic species. Shell morphology and external shell appearance do not allow reliable distinction between the widely recognized northeastern Atlantic A. excavata and other northwest Atlantic species or populations of Acesta, with the exception of A. oophaga. Similarly, shape analysis reveals a wide variability within northeastern Atlantic A. excavata, and significant morphological overlap with A. bullisi from the Gulf of Mexico and A. rathbuni from the southwestern Pacific and South China Sea. Specimens from the northwestern and Mid-Atlantic display shell shapes marginally similar to that of A. excavata. These differences are at least partly related to anterior or posterior shifting of the shell body and to the opposite shifting of the hinge line/dorsal region and upper lunule. These morphological variations, along with the midline-width-ratio, explain much of the variability extracted by principal component analysis. Results from a mitochondrial DNA barcode approach (COI), however, suggest that the northwest Atlantic specimens belong to a new species for which we propose the name Acesta cryptadelphe sp. nov. Differences in larval shell sizes between northeastern and northwestern Atlantic specimens are consistent with this result.

Five species of aglaopheniid hydroids ( Aglaophenopsis cornuta , Cladocarpus diana , C. formosus , C. integer , and Nematocarpus ramuliferus ) were collected from the Flemish Cap, Flemish Pass, and Grand Banks of Newfoundland during surveys with bottom trawls, rock dredges, and scallop gear. All are infrequently reported species, with C. diana being discovered for the first time since its original description from Iceland. We document here the southernmost collections of C. diana and N. ramuliferus , both previously unknown in the western Atlantic. Each of the five species is described and illustrated based on fertile material, a key is provided for their identification, and bathymetric distributions are noted. Known depth ranges are extended for A. cornuta , C. diana , and C. integer . Aglaophenopsis and Nematocarpus are recognized as genera distinct from the polyphyletic Cladocarpus, based on the unique structure of the phylactocarp in the former, and the existence of appendages with nematothecae (ramuli) on almost all thecate internodes of hydrocladia in the latter. These appendages occur even in the absence of gonothecae, and are here considered defensive structures that protect the hydranths. In differing from typical phylactocarps, we accept the contention that they are characters of generic value.

Este artículo contiene 19 páginas, 7 tablas, 12 figuras., Over the course of the past decade, in response to United Nations General Assembly resolutions calling for the protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs), the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization has closed 14 areas around the high-seas portion of Grand Bank and Flemish Cap to protect deep-sea coral and sponge habitats from impacts by bottom-contact fishing gears. Structural and functional connectivity for those areas were not explicitly considered in the area-selection process. We applied a particle-tracking model in each of four seasons to produce dispersal trajectories at the surface and 100m from start points within the closed areas. These were run in forecast and hindcast modes to identify dispersal kernels. Currents at the surface, 100 m, 1000m and “on bottom” were examined under an independent model (NEMO) to infer structural connectivity among the areas at relevant depths not available in the particle-tracking model. Spawning times and planktonic larval duration of the dominant sponges, sea pens and gorgonian corals were then considered to evaluate the trajectories as biophysical models, while species distribution models identified potential source populations from hindcast projections. Five of the 14 areas, including the three largest closures, showed particle retention, with three others showing retention within 10 km of their boundaries. The regional pattern of currents and their topographic forcing emerged as a strong structuring agent. A system of weakly-connected closed areas to protect sea pen VMEs on Flemish Cap was identified. The conducted approach illustrates the added value of assessing/modelling networking properties when designing MPAs., This work was supported by Fisheries and Oceans, Canada's International Governance Strategy, awarded to EK; this work is a Canadian and Spanish CSIC contribution to the SponGES project - part of the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 679849. The EU groundfish surveys in the NAFO area were co-funded by the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO), the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), the Spanish Institute for Marine Research Superior Council of Scientific Investigations (IIM-CSIC) and the European Union through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) within the National Program of collection, management and use of data in the fisheries sector and support for scientific advice regarding the Common Fisheries Policy.

We examined four species of sea pen (Anthoptilum grandiflorum, Halipteris finmarchica, Pennatula aculeata and Pennatula grandis) collected from the Gulf of St. Lawrence and mouth of the Laurentian Channel, eastern Canada. An exponential length–weight relationship was found for all four species, where growth in weight was progressively greater than growth in length with increasing colony size. Halipteris finmarchica, P. grandis and P. aculeata presented the better allometric fits, explaining over 80% of the variance. In addition, a count of growth increments visible in transverse sections in 86 A. grandiflorum and 80 P. aculeata samples was made. Presumed ages ranged between 5 and 28 years for A. grandiflorum and 2 and 21 years for P. aculeata. Radiocarbon assays were inconclusive and could not be used to confirm these ages; further age validation is required. Radial growth of the rod is slow during the first years, increasing at intermediate sizes of the colony and slowing down again for large colonies. Similar results were obtained from the relationship between colony length and number of growth increments where a logistic model was the best fit to the data. On average Spearman’s rank correlations showed 11% of shared variance between sea pen length or weight and environmental variables. Bottom temperature and salinity, depth and summer primary production were significantly correlated to sea pen size for most species.

We examined four species of sea pen (Anthoptilum grandiflorum, Halipteris finmarchica, Pennatula aculeata and Pennatula grandis) collected from the Gulf of St. Lawrence and mouth of the Laurentian Channel, eastern Canada. An exponential length–weight relationship was found for all four species, where growth in weight was progressively greater than growth in length with increasing colony size. Halipteris finmarchica, P. grandis and P. aculeata presented the better allometric fits, explaining over 80% of the variance. In addition, a count of growth increments visible in transverse sections in 86 A. grandiflorum and 80 P. aculeata samples was made. Presumed ages ranged between 5 and 28 years for A. grandiflorum and 2 and 21 years for P. aculeata. Radiocarbon assays were inconclusive and could not be used to confirm these ages; further age validation is required. Radial growth of the rod is slow during the first years, increasing at intermediate sizes of the colony and slowing down again for large colonies. Similar results were obtained from the relationship between colony length and number of growth increments where a logistic model was the best fit to the data. On average Spearman’s rank correlations showed 11% of shared variance between sea pen length or weight and environmental variables. Bottom temperature and salinity, depth and summer primary production were significantly correlated to sea pen size for most species.

The ecological diversity of benthic invertebrates from bottom trawl surveys was mapped for the Flemish Cap, a plateau of ~200 km radius in the northwest Atlantic. Species density (SpD), the exponential Shannon diversity index (eH′) and Heip’s index of evenness (') were measured at different spatial scales. Continuous surfaces of each were created to 2000 m depth using predictive distribution models based on random forest (RF) algorithms. When fishing effort was included as an independent variable in the RF models, it was the most important predictor of sample SpD but unimportant in predicting eH′ and only a minor predictor of '. In the absence of a historical baseline, we used a novel approach to evaluate spatial impacts of fishing on diversity by simulating and comparing spatial SpD prediction surfaces using response data associated with different levels of fishing effort. Although it is not possible to fully evaluate the precise nature of the impact of fishing on the ecological diversity, our models have identified Sackville Spur, Flemish Pass and south of Flemish Cap as the areas of greatest impact. Combining minimum bottom salinity, annual primary production range, fishing effort and biomass of sponges and small gorgonian corals, resulted in the best performing generalized additive model, explaining 73% of the total variance in SpD. Although current closures to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems from the adverse impacts of bottom fishing activities protect an important part of the ecological diversity associated with the deeper communities, unique and representative habitats on top of the Cap remain unprotected., Sí