Document of bibliographic reference 301418

BibliographicReference record

Type

Bibliographic resource

Type of document

Reports

BibLvlCode

MS

Title

Epibenthic megafauna of the Disko Fan Conservation Area in the Davis Strait (Eastern Arctic) identified from in situ benthic image transects

Abstract

In 2012 and 2013, Fisheries and Oceans Canada conducted benthic imagery surveys in the Davis Strait and Baffin Basin in two areas then closed to bottom fishing, the Hatton Basin Voluntary Closure (now the Hatton Basin Conservation Area) and the Narwhal Closure (now partially in the Disko Fan Conservation Area). The photo transects were established as long-term biodiversity monitoring sites to monitor the impact of human activity, including climate change, on the region’s benthic marine biota in accordance with the protocols of the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program established by the Council of Arctic Flora and Fauna. This report summarises the epibenthic megafauna found in seven image transects from the Disko Fan Conservation Area. A total of 480 taxa were found, 280 of which were identified as belonging to one of the following phyla: Annelida, Arthropoda, Brachiopoda, Bryozoa, Chordata, Cnidaria, Echinodermata, Mollusca, Nemertea, and Porifera. The remaining 200 taxa could not be assigned to a phylum and were categorised as Unidentified. Each taxon was identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level, typically class, order, or family. The summaries for each of the taxa include their identification numbers in the World Register of Marine Species and Integrated Taxonomic Information System’s databases, taxonomic hierarchies, images, and written descriptions. The report is intended to provide baseline documentation of the epibenthic megafauna in the Disko Fan Conservation Area, and serve as a taxonomic resource for future image analyses in the Arctic.

Bibliographic citation

Baker, E.; Beazley, L.; McMillan, A.; Rowsell, J.; Kenchington, E.L. (2018). Epibenthic megafauna of the Disko Fan Conservation Area in the Davis Strait (Eastern Arctic) identified from in situ benthic image transects. Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences = Rapport Technique Canadien des Sciences Halieutiques et Aquatiques, 3272. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography: Dartmouth, N.S. ISBN 978-0-660-27625-0. vi, 388 pp.

Is peer reviewed

true

Access rights

open access

Is accessible for free

true