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The Epifauna of the Northern North Sea (56°–61°N)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2009

D.J. Basford ,
A. Eleftheriou  and
D. Raffaelli
D.J. Basford
Affiliation:
Marine Laboratory, PO Box 101, Victoria Road, Torry, Aberdeen, AB9 8DB
A. Eleftheriou
Affiliation:
Culterty Field Station, University of Aberdeen, Newburgh, Ellon, Aberdeenshire, AB4 OAA
D. Raffaelli
Affiliation:
Marine Laboratory, PO Box 101, Victoria Road, Torry, Aberdeen, AB9 8DB
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Extract

More than 65% of the demersal fish and shellfish caught by British vessels are landed at Scottish ports, most of the catch being taken from waters north of 56°, i.e. in the northern North Sea. The major resource supporting these fisheries is the benthos, but the distributions of both infaunal and epifaunal benthic invertebrates in the North Sea are poorly documented. Moreover, the environmental factors determining the composition and structure of North Sea benthic assemblages are not well understood. There have been several limited surveys of the benthos (Stephen, 1934; Ursin, 1960), and recently Dyer et al. (1982, 1983), Cranmer (1985) and Cranmer et al. (1984) attempted a more quantitative and systematic survey. Various schemes have been proposed to explain observed regional differences in types of benthic assemblage, usually based on the biological characteristics of water masses, and / or a limited and fragmentary knowledge of the sediments of the North Sea {e.g. Glemarec, 1973; Dyer et al, 1983).

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 69 , Issue 2 , May 1989 , pp. 387 - 407
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 1989

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