Synopsis
Demersal fish communities associated with hard bottom habitats in the South Atlantic Bight were investigated in three depth zones (inner, middle and outer shelf) between 30° and 33°N latitudes. Fishes were sampled with trawls and baited fishing gear, and were observed by remotely operated underwater television. Most demersal hard bottom fishes demonstrated seasonal differences in abundance in each depth zone, especially at the inner and outer shelf stations. Diversity values from trawl catches were higher in winter than summer at inner and outer shelf stations, but lower in winter at middle shelf stations. Species richness was higher in summer than in winter at most stations, but H' diversity patterns were more influenced by community evenness. Diversity values were higher than those reported for similar depths in the Middle Atlantic Bight. Mean biomass of demersal teleosts for all stations combined was slightly greater in winter than in summer. There was no significant difference in biomass between stations in summer, however, middle shelf stations had significantly greater biomass than inner or outer shelf stations in winter. Biomass estimates from the hard bottom areas studied were considerably higher than those reported in the literature for sand bottom areas in the South Atlantic Bight, but less than those reported for tropical reefs. Cluster analysis revealed differences in community composition between day and night trawl tows at all stations, and greater seasonal differences in species composition at inner and outer shelf stations than at middle shelf depths. Underwater television provided useful complementary data to trawl catches, documented the presence of large fishes which avoided the trawl, and provided information on the community composition at high relief stations which could not be trawled.
Similar content being viewed by others
References cited
Bardach, J.E. 1959. The summer standing crop of fish on a shallow Bermuda reef. Limnol. Oceanogr. 4: 77–85.
Bliss, C.J. 1967. Statistics in biology. Vol. 1. McGraw-Hill. New York. 558 pp.
Boesch, D.F. 1977. Application of numerical classification in ecological investigations of water pollution. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Ecological Research Series EPA600/3-77-033. 113 pp.
Bray, J.R. & J.T. Curtis. 1957. An ordination of the upland forest communities of southern Wisconsin. Ecol. Monogr. 27: 325–349.
Clifford, H.T. & W. Stephenson. 1975. An introduction to numerical classification. Academic Press. New York. 229 pp.
Collette, B.B. & F.H. Talbot. 1972. Activity patterns of coral reef fishes with emphasis on nocturnal-diurnal changeover. Bull. Los Angeles Co. Mus. 14: 98–124.
Elliot, J.M. 1977. Some methods for the stastical analysis of samples of benthic invertebrates. Freshw. Biol. Assoc. Sci. Publ. 25. 160 pp.
Foell, E.J. & J.A. Musick. 1979. Section 11: Community structure analysis of fishes. Virginia Inst. of Mar. Sci. Spec. Rep. Appl. Mar. Sci. Ocean Engineering 197: 81–159.
George, R.V. & J.C. Staiger. 1978. Epifauna: benthic invertebrate and demersal fish populations in the Georgia Bight continental shelf environment. Texas Instruments, Inc. South Atlantic Benchmark Program, Vol. 3. Draft report to the Bureau of Land Management: 211–254.
Grimes, C.B., C.S. Manooch & G.R. Huntsman. 1982. Reef and rock outcropping fishes of the outer continental shelf of North Carolina and South Carolina, and ecological notes on the red porgy and vermillion snapper, Bull. Mar. Sci. 32: 277–289.
Hillier, A.J. 1974. URI high rise series bottom trawl manual. Univ. Rhode Island Mar. Bull. 20. 6 pp.
Huntsman, G.R. 1976. Offshore headboat fishing in North Carolina and South Carolina. Mar. Fish. Rev. 38: 13–23.
Lance, G.N. & W.T. Williams. 1976. A general theory of classificatory sorting strategies. I. Hierarchical systems. Comput. J. 9: 373–380.
Manooch, C.S., III & C.A. Barans. 1982. Distribution, abundance, and age and growth of tomtate, Haemulon aurolineatum, along the southeastern United States. U.S. Fish. Bull. 80: 1–19.
Margalef, D.R. 1958. Information theory in ecology. Gen. Syst. 3: 36–71.
Miller, G.C. & W.J. Richards. 1980. Reef fish habitat, faunal assemblages and factors determining distributions in the South Atlantic Bight. Proc. Gulf Caribb. Fish. Inst. 32: 114–130.
Odum, H.T. & E.P. Odum. 1955. Trophic structure and productivity of a windward coral reef community on Eniwetok Atoll. Ecol. Monogr. 25: 291–320.
Olsen, D.A., A.E. Dammann & D. Neal. 1974. A vertical longline for red snapper fishing. Mar. Fish. Rev. 36: 7–9.
Parrish, J.D. & R.J. Zimmerman. 1977. Utilization by fish of space and food resources on an offshore Puerto Rican coral reef and its surroundings. pp. 297–303. In: R.L.Taylor (ed.) Proceedings: Third International Coral Reef Symposium, Vol. I: Biology. University of Miami, Miami.
Pielou, E.C. 1975. Ecological diversity. John Wiley and Sons, New York. 165 pp.
Powles, H. & C.A. Barans. 1980. Groundfish monitoring in sponge-coral areas off the southeastern United States. Mar. Fish. Rev. 42: 21–35.
Randall, J.E. 1963. An analysis of the fish populations of artificial and natural reefs in the Virgin Islands. Caribb. J. Sci. 3: 31–47.
Smith, D. 1977. Use of the URI high-rise trawl off South Carolina. pp. 13–15. In: D.M. Cupka, P.J. Eldridge & G.R. Huntsman (ed.) Proceedings of Workshop On the Snapper/Grouper Resources of the South Atlantic Bight, South Carolina Mar. Res. Center Tech. Rep. 27.
Stone, R.B., H.L. Pratt, R.O. Parker, Jr. & G.E. Davis. 1979. A comparison of fish populations on an artificial and natural reef in the Florida Keys. Mar. Fish. Rev. 41: 1–11.
Struhsaker, P. 1969. Demersal fish resources: composition, distribution and commercial potential of the continental shelf stocks off the southeastern United States. Fish. Ind. Res. 4: 261–300.
Taylor, C.C. 1953. Nature of variability in trawl catches. U.S. Fish. Bull. 54: 145–166.
Uzmann, J.R., R.A. Cooper, R.B. Theroux & R.L. Wigley. 1977. Synoptic comparison of three sampling techniques for estimating abundance and distribution of selected megafauna: submersible vs. camera sled vs. otter trawl. Mar. Fish. Rev. 39: 11–19.
Waltz, C.W., W.A. Roumillat & C.A. Wenner. 1982. Biology of the whitebone porgy Calamus leucosteus in the South Atlantic Bight. U.S. Fish. Bull. 80: 863–874.
Wenner, C.A. 1983. Species associations and day-night variability of trawl caught fishes from the inshore sponge-coral habitat, South Atlantic Bight. U.S. Fish. Bull. 81: 532–552.
Wenner, C.A., C.A. Barans, B.W. Stender & F.W. Berry. 1980. Results of MARMAP otter trawl investigations in the South Atlantic Bight V: Summer 1975. South Carolina Marine Res. Center Tech. Rep. 45. 57 pp.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sedberry, G.R., Van Dolah, R.F. Demersal fish assemblages associated with hard bottom habitat in the South Atlantic Bight of the U.S.A.. Environ Biol Fish 11, 241–258 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00001372
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00001372