Composition, richness and characterization of the benthic community in a non-fished area at the Patagonian Scallop fishing grounds, Argentina

SCHEJTER L., BREMEC C

FLORIANOPOLIS

Workshop; . 9th International Pectinid Workshop,; 2013

The Patagonian scallop Zygochlamys patagonica is a very important invertebrate marine resource exploited in Argentina since 1996. Management strategies were applied from the beginning of the fishery and included, among many other regulations, the annual monitoring of the benthic community by means of the by-catch assessment. The total fishing area of the Patagonian Scallop in the SW Atlantic Ocean (subdivided into smaller Management Units) is comprised between 36º43? and 48º30?S, along the shelf-break frontal area, at depths ranging between 70 and 130 meters, approximately. During January 2011, exploratory cruises were developed in order to assess scallop biomass and benthic community composition at an area comprised in the middle of the fishing grounds area, but with few or no fishing records until 2011. The objective of the present contribution is the characterization of the benthic community in this unfished area and its comparison with nearby fished areas also comprised inside the Patagonian scallop fishing grounds of Argentina.