Abstract
The MEDITS-99 sampling was performed along all the Iberian Peninsula coasts of the western Mediterranean (from the Alborán Sea to Cape Creus) in a space-scale of 1000 Km N-S, at depths ranging between 27-790 m. Fish and decapod crustaceans were dominant in the megafaunal compartment sampled by trawling. Based on both the fish and the decapod crustacean compositions, a comparison of trophic guilds has been attempted, with fish and decapods classified as: 1) migrator macroplankton feeders (mM), 2) non-migrator macroplankton feeders (nmM), 3) nektobenthos-suprabenthos feeders (NS), 4) epibenthos feeders (Epib), 5) large detritus-scavengers (Sca), 6) infaunal feeders (Inf), 7) deposit feeders (Dep) and 8) small detritivorous feeders (Det). Multivariate techniques showed the following differences in the trophodynamics of the megafaunal assemblages along the coasts of the Iberian Peninsula: 1) crustaceans (mainly decapods) have different trophic structures on the shelf and on the slope; 2) on the slope, fish exhibited more clear changes as a function of the geographical gradient than crustaceans; and 3) trophodynamics of bathyal fish showed some geographic variations between the Alborán Sea, the Catalano-Balearic Basin, and the Algerian Basin (Vera Gulf and Alicante sectors), with a progressive north-south increase in planktophagous species.
Highlights
Demersal fisheries along the Mediterranean coasts have been directed at a variety of resources, including fish, decapod crustaceans and cephalopods (Bertrand and Relini, 2000)
Multivariate techniques showed the following differences in the trophodynamics of the megafaunal assemblages along the coasts of the Iberian Peninsula: 1) crustaceans have different trophic structures on the shelf and on the slope; 2) on the slope, fish exhibited more clear changes as a function of the geographical gradient than crustaceans; and 3) trophodynamics of bathyal fish showed some geographic variations between the Alborán Sea, the Catalano-Balearic Basin, and the Algerian Basin (Vera Gulf and Alicante sectors), with a progressive north-south increase in planktophagous species
Fish were only considered at bathyal depths, due to: (i) the gaps existing for dietary studies in an important proportion of shelf fish in the area; and (ii) we considered it inappropriate to extrapolate the results of TABLE 1. – Classification of the most abundant species in trophic guilds: 1) migrator macroplankton feeders, 2) non-migrator macroplankton feeders, 3) nektobenthos-suprabenthos feeders (NS), 4) epibenthos feeders (Epib), 5) large detritus-scavengers (Sca), 6) infaunal feeders (Inf), 7) deposit feeders (Dep), 8) small detritivorous feeders (Det)
Summary
Demersal fisheries along the Mediterranean coasts have been directed at a variety of resources, including fish, decapod crustaceans and cephalopods (Bertrand and Relini, 2000). Trawling is the main fishing activity below the 50 m isobath, with an important increase in deep-water fisheries (deeper than 150 m) which have been operating for a long time (Bas et al, 1955) on important target species such as the shrimps Parapenaeus longirostris and Aristeus antennatus, the Norway lobster Nephrops norvegicus, or fish species such as hake Merluccius merluccius or Phycis blennoides These fisheries can reach down to 800 m.
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