Smooth Bottom Net Trawl Fishing Gear Effect on - New England ...

NOAA/NMFS Unallied Science Project, Cooperative Agreement NA16FL2264 May 2005
<strong>Smooth</strong> <strong>Bottom</strong> <strong>Net</strong> <strong>Trawl</strong> <strong>Fishing</strong> <strong>Gear</strong> <strong>Effect</strong> on the Seabed:
Investigation of Temporal and Cumulative <strong>Effect</strong>s BKAM/CR
Figure 3.2.2.4 –4b November 2002 grab sample locations at Little Tow lane 1 station B
Little Tow Control Lane 2 in the Vicinity of Station B
Pre-trawl sonar data for the paired Little Tow reference lane 2 shows background otter trawl and
scallop gear impacts along the entire length of the lane (see Appendix 3.2-A Figure TS-2). Little
Tow lane 2 station B appears to be located in hummocky muddy sand within meters of a small
patch of sand waves.
GIS analysis of grab sample locations and sonar data suggests that none of the samples collected
from Little Tow control lane 2 near station B were impacted by any project-related fishing gear.
Project-related gear impacts including door scours were visible to the southwest of Little Tow
control lane 2 near station B on September 30 th and November 20, 2002 sonar imagery, however,
they were over 20 meters from the grab sampling stations.
Little Tow Experimentally <strong>Trawl</strong>ed Lane 3 in the Vicinity of Station A
Little Tow lane 3 station A is located in an area characterized by flat muddy sands widely
interspersed with small to large cobbles and faint sand ripples (see Appendix 3.2-A, Figure TS-
3). Bathymetric data shows that this area slopes gently down to the east (Figure 2.3.1-2). Pretrawl
sonar data for Little Tow lane 3 shows background scallop gear impacts along the entire
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