FEBBE-3 LEG1
| Type | Oceanographic cruise |
|---|---|
| Set | This cruise is part of the set FEBBE |
| Ship | Thalia |
| Ship owner | Ifremer |
| Dates | 18/05/2014 - 30/05/2014 |
| Chief scientist(s) | LAFFARGUE Pascal  |
ÉCOLOGIE ET MODÈLES POUR L'HALIEUTIQUE Centre Ifremer de Nantes Rue de l'Ile d'Yeu BP 2105 44311 Nantes Cedex 3 +33 (0)2 40 37 41 67 |
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| DOI | 10.17600/14008600 |
| Objective | Bottom trawling subjects benthic habitats and communities in the Bay of Biscay (BoB) to constant pressure. Few efforts have been made to reduce the physical impacts on ecosystems caused by intensive fisheries (discards, mortality of non-commercial benthic organisms and denaturing of habitats). Knowledge is vital in the context of developing both sustainable fisheries practices, which create less damage to the communities exploited and strategic plans to assess the status of marine ecosystems and develop effective management measures. The FEBBE-3 Leg 1 and 2 cruises followed on from the FEBBE-1 & 2 cruises, with the main objective of collecting data on the effects of bottom trawls on the habitat and structure of benthic communities. The series of FEBBE cruises is part of the European BENTHIS project aiming to assess the impacts of bottom trawling on various European marine ecosystems and to develop and/or test alternatives to the most harmful practices. The major physical impact of fishing gear involves the alteration of the sea floor and re-suspension of sediments. FEBBE-1 & 2 (2013) provided an initial description of the sediments encountered and their reworking depending on different levels of fishing effort. FEBBE-3's objectives are to quantify the direct impact of 2 types of fishing gear on the sea bed (validating numerical models and quantifying the thicknesses of reworked sediments), assess contributions of different parts of trawls and describe the behaviour of re-suspended sediments. Detailed examination of sediment morphology using imagery at different periods of the year in the 2 targeted areas (zones A and B) will make it possible to evaluate the persistence of physical impacts observed on the bottom. A biological strand will complement these observations, with the main aim of assessing induced mortality of benthic species and their distribution on the sea bed after a trawl has passed. |
