1. The 2nd UNIDOKAP International Symposium on BIODIVERSITY,
28-30 November 2018,
Samsun, TURKEY
EPIFAUNAL ASSEMBLAGES AND THEIR VULNERABILITY TO TRAWLING IN A COASTAL ECOSYSTEM (SOUTHERN BLACK SEA)
A. Gümüş1*, S. Süer1 , A. Van1 , M. Rüzgar1 , M. Zengin2 and I. Ozcan Akpınar2
Ondokuz Mayıs University, Faculty of Science and Arts, Dept. of Biology, Samsun, TURKEY
Central Fisheries Researc Institute, Yomra, Trabzon, TURKEY

2. Biological traits of epifaunal species
The 2nd UNIDOKAP International Symposium on BIODIVERSITY, November 2018,Samsun, TURKEY
Hypothesis:
Bottom trawling have impacts on the community structure of the epifauna.
Aim:
Biological traits of epifaunal species
- to measure the vulnerability to trawling
- to define the community distribution

3. Samsun Shelf Area (SSA)
The 2nd UNIDOKAP International Symposium on BIODIVERSITY, November 2018,Samsun, TURKEY
Samsun Shelf Area (SSA)
southern Black Sea
major fishing ground
exposed to high trawling disturbance
Beam trawl of 2.75 m and mesh size 12 mm,
6 stations, 4-50 m depth range,
2500 samplings at 185 operations,

4. Scores 0 (low) – 3 (high) vulnerability,
The 2nd UNIDOKAP International Symposium on BIODIVERSITY, November 2018,Samsun, TURKEY
Five functional traits - position, feeding type, motility, size, and life span,
Scores 0 (low) – 3 (high) vulnerability,
Total scores ranging from 2 to 15 were assigned to five groups,
The abundance of epifaunal species (57 species) normalized with log(x+1),
The relative abundance of functional traits in five groups were analyzed by correspondence analysis.

5. The 2nd UNIDOKAP International Symposium on BIODIVERSITY, 28-30 November 2018,Samsun, TURKEY
Plot of Correspondance analysis
General outlines
SSA; a typical coastal area under high trawling pressure,
Species resistant to trawling pressure,
No large sessiles, emergent filter feeders, long live species and large predators,
Urgent management measure: to mitigate the benthic impact !