Full name: Huy Pham-Xuan

Subject: Biology
Class: M103

Effect of trawling on bird and seal distributions in southern Benguela region

Authors: P. G. Ryan, C. L. Moloney
Source: https://www.academia.edu/34824086/

Synopsis:

The research considered the impact of demersal trawl-fishery on the distributions of seabirds and

Cape fur-seals seals in southern Benguela region, a shelf waters off the west and south coasts of

Africa. Researchers focused on identifying the principal factors determining the spatial

attendance patterns of scavenging birds and seals at trawls, and by estimating the relative

attraction of trawlers to different species in order to study the parasitic and commensal

relationship between marine predators and fisheries, which affected their distribution.

The data of the study were collected in 82 research trawls, which were conducted on random

water stations on three isobaths along Benguelas southern shelf waters. Research trawls were

carried on during the daytime in austral winter (From 4th to 27th, July 1984), in order to have the

largest number of seabirds presented in the region. The duration of each trawl varied depending

on the water depth at each station. The maximum number of individuals of species appeared

within the radius of 500 meters of the ship during 20 min following the net surfacing were

counted and utilized as the attendance data of species at the trawls. The length of that radius

obtained base on the estimated density of seabirds and seals at sea derived from census transect.

Other environmental variables were also recorded at the station of each trial trawl, including
water depth (m), distance offshore (to nearest land, km), sea surface temperature (), time of

day, time since the previous trawl, the mass of fish and squid caught (kg), and the mass of fish

and squid potentially available to birds. An index of recent commercial trawling activity in the

vicinity of each station, which record the number of trawls made in 3535 km grid blocks was

also considered as a parameter in the data sets.

The data analysis method in the study was stepwise multiple correlations and correlations

between variables were calculated to discover the relationship between them. The result pointed

out that the environmental variables and trawling statistics were best correlated with the

distributions of the 12 most abundant species attending the trawls. Nine in 12 species were the

nonbreeding migrant to Benguela, which were attracted to the fishery activities. Three left, Cape

gannet, kelp gull and Cape fur-seal, were breeding species in southern Africa were abundant at

the trawls. Species, including pintado petrels, shy albatross and prions, were positively correlated

with the recent trawling activity. However, black-borrowed albatross were better correlated with

water depth. The number of attendants of species were also compared with density of species at

sea.

Vocabulary

1. Statistics the numerical facts or data themselves

2. Correlation - a reciprocal relation between two or more things
3. Distribution - an arrangement of values of a variable showing their observed or
theoretical frequency of occurrence
4. Classification - the act of distributing things into classes or categories of the same type
5. Variance - the state, quality, or fact of being variable, divergent, different, oranomalous.
6. Transect - divide transversely.