What specific deep-sea habitat is ecologically vulnerable due to bottom trawling used for Orange Roughy near Australian seamounts?
Answer
Deep-sea coral reefs and sponges
The method of bottom trawling, employed to catch Orange Roughy where they aggregate for spawning around seamounts, carries significant ecological risk because it is linked to causing substantial, long-lasting damage to deep-sea benthic habitats. Specifically, fragile ecosystems consisting of deep-sea coral reefs and sponges are vulnerable to destruction from these heavy gears scraping the ocean floor. Management strategies implemented to counteract this often include creating spatial closures to protect these critical, slow-growing deep-sea environments.
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