Persistence and variation in the distribution of bottom-trawl fish assemblages over the Flemish Cap

Abstract

The aim of this study is to test the variability of the assemblages defined in the Flemish Cap area. Data from 951 bottom hauls were analysed, covering depths between 126 and 740 m in the years 1995–2002. The fish fauna in Flemish Cap appears distributed in a persistent structural zonation defined in three assemblages. The first three factors of a Principal Component Analysis explained the 78.4% of the variance in distribution species, and they are consistent with the results of a cluster analysis. The three characteristic assemblages show a temporal persistence, but some changes appear in this period, for instance: displacements of the assemblages limits towards shallower waters, and some changes in relative position of the dominant species in each assemblage. These changes can be related with the constant decrease of the biomass of the main demersal fish species like Atlantic cod and American plaice. The species of Genus Sebastes appear as dominant fish species in the area.