Vazella pourtalesii is a large sponge that can form dense sponge grounds which locally enhance biodiversity in the deep sea. Many commercial fish species have been found associated with these sponge grounds, including silver hake, redfish and haddock. However, it is challenging to understand how exactly these fish use these unique habitats. This is why we deployed landers, i.e. metal frames, with time-lapse image cameras, soundtraps and many other sensors.
Our project featured in the iAtlantic newsletter (page 7)
Team
PIs: Dr Laurence De Clippele, Dr Jinshan Xu and Dr Ellen Kenchington
Co-Is: Prof. George Wolff, Dr Christian Mohn, Dr Fred Whoriskey
Funding
DFO, Competitive Research Fund
Publications
De Clippele, L. H. et al. Fish use of deep-sea sponge habitats evidenced by long-term high-resolution monitoring. (Submitted to Scientific Reports, 2024)
Nozères, C. et al. Image annotations for biodiversity with benthic landers in the Gully MPA and Scotian Shelf from 2021-2023. Can. Manuscr. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3290, iv + 99 p. (2024).
De Clippele, L. H. et al. Cruise Report in Support of Maritimes Region Research Project ‘Use of Passive Acoustics to Quantify Fish Biodiversity and Habitat Use’: Ocean Observation Systems in the Gully MPA and Scotian Shelf 2023. Can. Manuscr. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3288, iii + 14 p. (2024).
De Clippele, L. H. et al. Cruise Report in Support of Maritimes Region Research Project ‘Use of Passive Acoustics to Quantify Fish Biodiversity and Habitat Use’: Ocean Observation Systems in the Gully MPA and Scotian Shelf 2022. Can. Manuscr. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3260, iv + 42 p. (2023).
Kenchington, E., Lirette, C. & De Clippele, L. H. Cruise Report in Support of Maritimes Region Research Project: Use of Passive Acoustics to Quantify Fish Biodiversity and Habitat Use. Can. Manuscr. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3231, iv + 52 p. (2021).
Laurence De Clippele's Research Group 