Abstract :
A proposal to census marine life in the Gulf of Maine is under discussion. This would aim to survey the spectrum of organisms at intervals over the approximate period 2002-2004 in order to accomplish the following goals: (1) describe the spatial distribution of organisms by taxon, (2) estimate abundance, (3) quantify diversity, (4) relate spatial distributions to each other, and (5) associate distributions with the underlying oceanography. While much of the censusing work appears to be mainly descriptive, answering questions about what is found where and in what quantities, it may also allow testing of hypotheses. One source of hypotheses is founded on the beliefs that observable changes in organism distribution can be related to changes in the oceanography, such as water-mass distribution and evolution in time, and that these relationships can also be quantified. Particular hypotheses would depend on particular taxa, for their response time to changes in an innately dynamic environment will also vary. The primary approach is to divide the spectrum of organisms into functional groups, each of which can be observed or, as appropriate, sampled with the same or similar tools. Representative groups are the following: small pelagic organisms including bacteria, protozoa, and plankton; fish and squid, possibly further divided into pelagic and demersal fish; large vertebrates, including large predatory animals and marine mammals, and seabirds; offshore subtidal benthos; and intertidal and nearshore subtidal benthos. In addition, some limited sampling and observation may be performed through the slope water to the north wall of the Gulf Stream and on some of the New England Seamounts. Remote sensing techniques, including especially acoustical and optical tools, will be important in this work. In addition to summarizing the status of the planning project, the potential of remote sensing tools for application in the pilot census are reviewed. The use of fishing vessels as research platforms is mentioned
Keywords :
oceanographic regions; zoology; Gulf Stream; Gulf of Maine; New England seamounts; abundance; bacteria; census; demersal fish; diversity; fish; fishing vessels; functional groups; intertidal benthos; large predatory animals; large vertebrates; marine living resources; marine mammals; nearshore subtidal benthos; oceanography; offshore subtidal benthos; organisms; pelagic fish; plankton; planning project; protozoa; remote sensing; research platforms; response time; seabirds; small pelagic organisms; spatial distribution; spatial distributions; squid; taxon; water-mass distribution; water-mass evolution; Delay; Marine animals; Marine vegetation; Microorganisms; Optical sensors; Organisms; Proposals; Remote sensing; Sampling methods; Testing;
