Volumes

by publication dates
December 2023 (2)
May 2023 (1)
October 2022 (1)
September 2022 (2)
August 2022 (1)
April 2022 (1)
December 2021 (1)
November 2021 (1)
October 2021 (1)
September 2021 (1)
January 2021 (1)
December 2020 (1)
November 2020 (1)
October 2020 (1)
July 2020 (1)
June 2020 (2)
January 2020 (1)
May 2019 (1)
April 2019 (1)
March 2019 (1)
January 2019 (1)
January 2018 (1)
December 2017 (1)
October 2017 (1)
July 2017 (1)
December 2016 (2)
November 2016 (1)
October 2016 (1)
February 2016 (1)
December 2015 (4)
September 2015 (2)
July 2015 (1)
March 2015 (1)
December 2014 (3)
July 2014 (2)
May 2014 (1)
December 2013 (4)
October 2013 (1)
March 2013 (1)
January 2013 (1)
December 2012 (6)
October 2012 (2)
July 2012 (1)
January 2012 (1)
December 2011 (3)
November 2011 (1)
October 2011 (1)
September 2011 (1)
August 2011 (1)
May 2011 (1)
March 2011 (1)
February 2011 (1)
August 2010 (1)
June 2010 (2)
May 2010 (2)
April 2010 (1)
March 2010 (2)
February 2010 (2)
December 2009 (1)
October 2009 (6)
September 2009 (2)
August 2009 (2)
July 2009 (1)
April 2009 (1)
February 2009 (7)
January 2009 (5)
December 2008 (1)
October 2008 (1)
September 2008 (4)
August 2008 (4)
June 2008 (1)
May 2008 (1)
April 2008 (1)
February 2008 (4)
January 2008 (3)
December 2007 (5)
November 2007 (2)
August 2007 (1)
June 2007 (2)
May 2007 (4)
March 2007 (3)
February 2007 (1)
January 2007 (1)
November 2006 (1)
October 2006 (1)
September 2006 (3)
June 2006 (1)
May 2006 (1)
April 2006 (2)
February 2006 (2)
January 2006 (2)
December 2005 (6)
November 2005 (1)
October 2005 (5)
September 2005 (1)
June 2005 (1)
April 2005 (3)
March 2005 (16)
February 2005 (4)
January 2005 (6)
December 2004 (2)
November 2004 (7)
October 2004 (1)
September 2004 (12)
December 2003 (4)
October 2003 (37)
March 2003 (13)
December 2002 (7)
December 2001 (7)
December 2000 (34)
October 1999 (21)
November 1998 (6)
October 1998 (18)
December 1997 (28)
April 1997 (7)
October 1996 (13)
September 1996 (1)
April 1996 (9)
October 1994 (8)
July 1994 (9)
December 1993 (1)
December 1992 (26)
January 1992 (9)
February 1991 (9)
December 1990 (3)
December 1989 (8)
October 1989 (9)
December 1988 (9)
December 1987 (11)
December 1986 (11)
December 1985 (10)
June 1985 (11)
November 1984 (12)
January 1984 (18)
July 1983 (1)
December 1982 (12)
May 1982 (9)
November 1981 (12)
November 1980 (12)


JNAFS

01

J. D. M. Gordon

Scottish Association for Marine Science, Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory
Oban, PA37 1QA, United Kingdom

Source - Journal of Northwest Atlantic Fishery Science, Volume 31: 57-83
ISSN-0250-6408

 

Gordon, J. D. M. 2003. The Rockall Trough, Northeast Atlantic: the Cradle of Deep-sea Biological Oceanography that is Now Being Subjected to Unsustainable Fishing Activity. J. Northw. Atl. Fish. Sci., 31: 57-83. https://doi.org/10.2960/J.v31.a5

Abstract

The Rockall Trough or Channel is a clearly delimited deep-water area lying to the west of the British Isles. The eastern and western boundaries are formed by the continental margin and the Rockall Plateau, respectively. To the north it is separated from the colder Norwegian Sea by a ridge at about 500 m depth. To the south the depth steadily increases to abyssal depths. In the 1860s and 1870s some of the earliest descriptions of deep-water fishes were from this area. This review documents the late 19th and early 20th century investigations of the fish populations. The U.K. and Germany carried out deep-water exploratory fishing surveys in the 1970s and 1980s and detailed biological studies by the Scottish Association for Marine Science began in 1975. These, and other more recent studies, have added considerably to our knowledge of biology and ecology of the deep-water fishes. General accounts are given of the key features of the target and non-target species and families. Although some deep-water fishing began in the 1970s the rapid increase in commercial exploitation did not begin until 1989. As a result, there is information on the fish populations and their biology that pre-date the fishery. Since then, several countries have carried out research surveys in the area and there has been some monitoring of landings and discards. Concerns about the vulnerability of the fish stocks have been documented since 1993 and International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has assessed the status of the stocks since 1998. They are currently considered to be outside safe biological limits. The most recent ICES advice is for a 50% reduction in fishing effort for the main target species. Despite ICES advice, the fishery remains unregulated. There are also concerns about the impact of the fishery, especially bottom trawling, on what is generally considered to be a fragile ecosystem. This paper revisits the documented concerns about the vulnerability of the fish stocks and their habitat and describes the transition from what is probably one of the best-studied deep-water ecosystems to an area that is being subjected to unsustainable exploitation of its fish populations.

PDF

Language - English
Publisher - Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), Dartmouth, N.S., Canada
Publication Date - 2003
Publication Type - Journal Article
Descriptors -  deep-water fishery, ecosystem, fishing impacts, Rockall Trough, sustainability

 

Download Citation Data

 


Citation to clipboard

Reference management software (Endnote, Mendeley, RefWords, Zotero & most other reference management software)

LaTex, BibDesk & other specific software
Citation

Gordon, J. D. M. 2003. The Rockall Trough, Northeast Atlantic: the Cradle of Deep-sea Biological Oceanography that is Now Being Subjected to Unsustainable Fishing Activity. J. Northw. Atl. Fish. Sci., 31:
57-83. https://doi.org/10.2960/J.v31.a5


Posted in: Volume 31 - 2003
Actions: E-mail | Permalink |