Abstract:
Dedicated and opportunistic studies on the effects of fishing on the seabed have been collated across a range of New Zealand habitats, to determine the most useful approaches, and effects at the scale of the fishery. The magnitude of the effects varied with effort gradient, were greater for epifauna, and were greater for dedicated sampling studies. Effects included reduced diversity and number of taxa. Species that stand erect of the seabed or live on the sediment surface were most vulnerable.
