| Hall-Spencer
and Moore 2000a |
Clyde Sea, Scotland |
10-15 m |
Live bottom (maerl) with some cobble and boulders |
Disturbance
of seafloor to 10 cm; overturned boulders; suspended sediment; erasure of
bottom features and burial of living maerl in dredge tracks; most megafauna
in top 10 cm either caught in dredge or left damaged in dredge track (large,
fragile organisms more vulnerable); rapid aggregation of predatory species in
track. |
Dredge
tracks remained visible for 0.5-2.5 yrs; some recovery rates of large
epibenthic species variable, some recovering quickly, but others at
unexploited site had not recovered 4 yr after dredging; macrobenthic community at previously
exploited site recovered within 2 yr. |
Observations
of the effects of single dredge tows at a previously dredged and undredged site; immediate effects and
recovery (after 4 yr) evaluated by divers using video cameras. |