Benthic community assemblage associated with the Patagonian scallop fishery in Reclutas bed, 39ºS, Argentina, between 1998-2003. Comparison of disturbed and undisturbed areas.

SCHEJTER L.; BREMEC C.; HERNÁNDEZ D.

Mooloolaba, Australia

Workshop; 15th. International Pectinid Workshop; 2005

The aim of this study was to compare the composition and structure of the assemblage in the scallop bed Reclutas, in areas subjected to fishing effort and in the exclusion area, between 1998 and 2003, in order to identify short-term faunistic changes. In this study we found that the Patagonian scallop assemblage at Reclutas bed was persistent after 9 years of fishing activity, between 1995 and 2003 (see Bremec and Lasta, 2002 for 1995 data). Changes in species richness detected since 1995, baseline condition, are attributed to the sampling procedure. Regarding comparisons between fished and non-fished areas, the total number of species was lower in the latter, but this could be attributed to the number of samples analyzed, what permits the occurrence of the majority of the species, and also to the size of REX, what could make difficult to sample the rare or occasional species. ABC curves in REX, however, seem to show a recuperation of biomass in time. Short term observations show differences in scallop biomass only between areas (F and REX); the fishing strategy carried out during the study period in Reclutas bed did not produce significant differences in the biomass of by-catch taxa.