A year in Barkley Canyon: A time-series observatory study of mid-slope benthos and habitat dynamics using the NEPTUNE Canada network

Abstract

Understanding long-term trends in species abundance and distribution represents an important challenge for future research in the deep sea, particularly as management of human impacts becomes a more important concern. However, until natural higher frequency variability is better understood, it will be difficult to interpret any long-term trends that may be apparent in data sets. We present here the results of the first year of observations at the NEPTUNE Canada cabled observatory site in Barkley Canyon, off the coast of Vancouver Island, in the northeast Pacific Ocean. Presence/absence and abundance data for 28 faunal groups were extracted from daily video records from an observatory camera. Concurrent CTD and current meter data were collected from co-located instruments. Water mass properties, currents and faunal community composition exhibited notable seasonal trends. Distinct seasonal faunal groupings were observed, together with summer and winter trends in temperature, salinity and current patterns. Variations in abundance of decapod crustaceans and fishes were responsible for most differences between faunal groups. We suggest that faunal composition may have been responding to seasonal variations in food availability, together with direct and indirect physical influences on predator and prey abundance.