The impact of habitat disturbance by scallop dredging on marine benthic communities: what can be predicted from the results of experiments?

Abstract

Field experiments were conducted on two subtidal sandflats. The findings are considered a conservative assessment of bottom disturbance by fishing because of the area of seabed used, the types of community present and the intensity of disturbance used in the experiment. The findings of this and similar short-term experiments are discussed in light of the need to predict and assess possible large-scale changes in benthic communities as a result of habitat disturbance by fishing. -from Authors