Benthos

Benthic communities in the Far East fishing areas

Benthic communities in pollock habitation areas in the Northwest Pacific – Russia’s Far Eastern seas: the Bering Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan are fairly diverse, polydominant and characterized both by seasonal and multi-year variability.

Qualitative (species composition) and quantitative (density per unit of square area) characteristics of benthic communities in key areas of the Far Eastern fisheries basin are presented below.

Initial benthic studies in certain select areas of Far Eastern seas date back to 1925. Their geography was expanding with time and today multi-year data on qualitative and quantitative assessment of benthic communities are available for all Far Eastern seas.

Benthic studies are performed from board of research vessels through micro surveys using clamshells and dredges along profiles of a grid of stations, with macrobenthos samples in bottom trawl catches being sorted out.

In certain select areas (primarily in Primorye subzone) surveys are performed by divers when assessing density of bottom populations per unit of square area.

Such works are performed on a periodical basis thus allowing for assessment of changes occurring in benthic communities in time as well as for benthos evaluation as a feeding source for fishes and other animals.