8/16/2019 Abstract Assignm,Ent
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Fishing and the oceanography of a stratied shelfsea
Jonathan Sharples a,⇑, Jim R. Ellis b, Glenn Nolan c, Beth
E. Scott d
ABSTRACT
Fishing essel position data !rom the "essel #onitoring S$stem
%"#S& 'ere (sed toinestigate )shingactiit$ in the Celtic Sea, a
seasonall$*strati!$ing, temperate region on the shel!
o! north'est E(rope. The spatial pattern o! )shing sho'ed
that three main areas are targeted+ %& the Celtic-eep %an
areao! deeper 'ater 'ith )ne sediments&, %& the shel! edge,
and %/& an area coering seerallarge seabedban0s in the central
Celtic Sea. -ata !rom each o! these regions 'ere anal$sed toe1amine
the contrastingseasonalit$ o! )shing actiit$, and to highlight
'here the spring*neap tidal c$cle appears
to be importantto )shing. The oceanographic characteristics o!
the Celtic Sea 'ere considered alongsidethe distrib(tionand timing
o! )shing, ill(strating li0el$ contrasts in the (nderl$ing
enironmental drierso! the di2erent)shed regions. 3n the central
Celtic Sea, )shing mainl$ occ(rred d(ring the strati)edperiod
bet'een Apriland A(g(st. Based on eidence proided in other papers
o! this Special 3ss(e, 'e s(ggestthat the )shingin this area is
s(pported b$ %& a broad increase in primar$ prod(ction ca(sed
b$ lee*'aes generated b$seabed ban0s aro(nd spring tides driing
large s(pplies o! n(trients into the photic 4one,and %&
greater
concentrations o! 4ooplan0ton 'ithin the region in5(enced b$ the
seabed ban0s andeleated primar$prod(ction. 3n contrast, 'hile the
shel! edge is a site o! eleated s(r!ace chloroph$ll,preio(s 'or0has
s(ggested that the periodic mi1ing generated b$ an internal tide at
the shel! edgealters the si4e6str(ct(re o! the ph$toplan0ton
comm(nit$ 'hich )sh larae !rom the spa'ning stoc0salong the
shel! edge are able to e1ploit. The )sher$ !or Nephrops
noregic(s in the Celtic -eep 'as theonl$ one to sho'a signi)cant
spring*neap c$cle, possibl$ lin0ed to Nephrops !oraging o(tside
theirb(rro's less d(ringspring tides. #ore tentatiel$, the )sher$
!or Nephrops correlated most strongl$ 'ith a
localised shi!tin the tidal c(rrent polarisation, s(ggesting
that the m(dd$ seabed re7(ired b$ Nephropsis controlledb$
rotational constraints on the e1tent o! the bottom bo(ndar$
la$er.
89/ The A(thors. :(blished b$ Elseier ;td. All rights
resered.
