HELCOM/OSPAR JHP: Completing sampling methods for mobile epifauna - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

HELCOM/OSPAR JHP: Completing sampling methods for mobile epifauna by artificial habitat collectors

Monika Normant-Saremba and Lena Marszewska Department Of Experimental Ecology of Marine Organisms Institute of Oceanography University of Gdansk Poland

MOBILE EPIFAUNA

Epifauna - aquatic animals, that live on the surface of a bottom or on the surface of a submerged substrate, such as rocks or aquatic plants and animals;

(Ojaveer et al., 2016)

Photo: Jarosław Samsel Photo: Monika Normant-Saremba Photo: Monika Normant-Saremba

• among target species being on the lists that are currently in

use in the HELCOM and OSPAR areas, 27% and 22% belong to mobile epifauna;

JHP: MOBILE EPIFAUNA SAMPLING (baited traps)

JHP: “Mobile epifauna, such as crabs, should be sampled at each sampling site using light weight traps tethered to existing structures (pilings, buoys, docks). Traps are selective in nature and therefore provide only information on the presence of species” Fukui box trap

(63 x 42 x 20 cm, with 1.3 cm mesh netting)

Gee-minnow trap

(42 x 23 x 20 cm, with 2.5 cm mouth and 6.4 mm netting)

BAITED TRAPS

deployed for at least 48 h

Photo: Monika Normant-Saremba Photo: Monika Normant-Saremba

MOBILE EPIFAUNA REQUIRE SHELTERS

sacks filled with sand (size: 1.5 or 2.0 or 3.0 x 1.5 x 0.5 m) disposed up to 30 m from port quays horizontal gabion walls (size: 1.5 x 2.0 x 0.5 m; 3.0 x 6 x 0.5 m; with 10 cm netting)

• bottom hardening constructions (Port of Gdynia examples);

Photo: ZMPG-a S.A. Photo: ZMPG-a S.A.

Photo: ZMPG-a S.A.

MOBILE EPIFAUNA SAMPLING (non-baited traps)

ARTIFICIAL HABITAT COLLECTORS ’Crab condo’

PVC tubes (3 x 3), 5 x 25 cm (Hewitt & McDonald , 2013)

’Oyster crate’

plastic crate 30 x 30 x 30 cm filled with

• yster shells (Fowler et al., 2013)

deployed for 4-6 weeks

Photo: Monika Normant-Saremba Photo: Monika Normant-Saremba Photo: Monika Normant-Saremba

BAITED vs. NON-BAITED TRAPS (crustaceans)

• nly 3 species (1 isopod, 2 decapods) were common for baited and

non-baited traps;

• 1 decapod was found only in baited traps;
• as many as 12 species were found only in non-baited traps (2 mysids,

3 isopods, 7 amphipods);

Fukui Gee-minnow Crab condo Oyster crate (n=21) (n=21) (n=6) (n=6) Mysida 2 Isopoda 1 1 2 4 Amphipoda 6 6 Decapoda 2 3 1 2 SUM 3 4 11 11 Mysida 4 Isopoda 8 7 4 155 Amphipoda 158 3131 Decapoda 7 23 12 75 SUM 15 30 178 3361 Order NUMBER OF TRAPPED SPECIES (May-October 2014) ABUNDANCE OF TRAPPED TAXA (May-October 2014)

Photo: Piotr Wysocki Photo: Monika Normant-Saremba

North American amphipod Melita nitida

(photo:C. d’Udekem d’Acoz and F. Kerckhof, RBINS)

ONE NEW SPECIES DETECTED (oyster traps)

Map showing chronological records of M. nitida in European coastal waters (Normant-Saremba et al., in press).

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Photo: ZMPG-a S.A.

CONCLUSION

• The ability to detect higher number as well as abundance of species representing

mobile epifauna indicates that artificial habitat collectors would be an useful addition to baited traps described in Detailed Port Survey Protocol (Annex 2). Port of Gdynia (

• sampling sites)