Reef Habitats in the Middle Atlantic Bight: Abundance, Distribution, Associated Biological Communities, and Fishery Resource Use Item Type article Authors Steimle, Frank W.; Zetlin, Christine Download date 25/09/2021 09:28:45 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/1834/26392 Reef Habitats in the Middle Atlantic Bight: Abundance, Distribution, Associated Biological Communities, and Fishery Resource Use FRANK W. STEIMLE and CHRISTINE ZETLIN Introduction soft sediments, mostly sands, but grad- line jetties and groins, submerged pipe­ Spatial distribution and perhaps the ing to silt-clay in deeper areas (Stumf lines, cables, artificial reefs, and similar abundance of fishery resources are in- and Biggs, 1988; Poppe et al., 1994). objects or material placed in the marine fluenced by physical and other habitat Except for relic sand and gravel ridges, environment by the human population. factors. The identification of significant exposed Holocene to Pleistocene clay Some of these human additions are marine habitats and strong or critical or sandstone in some areas (Allen et considered objectionable “litter” (Gal­ associations between living marine re- al., 1969; Wigley and Theroux, 1981; gani et al., 2000), but larger objects can sources (LMR’s) and these habitats can Stumf and Biggs, 1988; Poppe et al., function as seabed structures that de­ lead to a better understanding of how 1994; NOAA National Data Center­ velop and support diverse and special environmental influences affect LMR’s NGDC, 1999), and glacially exposed biological communities, even if they and fisheries and support their manage- rock along the southern New England can be patchy in distribution. These ment (NMFS, 1999a). coast, this habitat characterization of communities differ significantly from The Middle Atlantic Bight (the area the Bight was basically true until Euro­ those of the surrounding well surveyed, of the U.S. east coast and continental pean colonization. soft sediment seabed of the Bight. shelf between Cape Cod, Mass., and Within the last two centuries there The expansion of this habitat type in Cape Hatteras, N.C.) hereafter referred has been an increase in hard bottom the Bight by man’s addition of solid to as the Bight, is characterized as or reef (“reef” is used hereafter to material has probably had an effect on being a homogeneous habitat of rel- refer to this multi-dimensional, hard­ LMR distributions and fisheries (such atively flat topography, composed of substrate, structural habitat) habitats in as American lobster, Homarus ameri­ the Bight, which is not commonly rec- canus; cod, Gadus morhua; red hake, ognized by marine geologists and re­ Urophycis chuss; ocean pout, Macro­ The authors are with the Sandy Hook Labora- tory, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, National source managers, e.g. shipwrecks, lost zoarces americanus; scup, Stenotomus Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 74 Magruder cargos, disposed solid materials, shore- chrysops; black sea bass, Centropristis Road, Highlands, NJ 07732. striata; and tautog, Tautoga onitis) and possible effect on other resources, but these effects are not well known nor well understood. In fact, reef habitats ABSTRACT—One particular habitat type tribution, abundance, use by living marine in the Middle Atlantic Bight is not well rec- resources and associated biological commu­ in general seem underappreciated by ognized among fishery scientists and man- nities (except on estuarine oyster reefs), and northeastern U.S. habitat managers or agers, although it is well known and used fishery value or management. This poorly researchers. For example, no type of by recreational and commercial fisheries. studied and surveyed habitat can provide fish reef habitat is even listed as a fishery This habitat consists of a variety of hard-sur- refuge from trawls and can be a factor in face, elevated relief “reef” or reef-like envi- studies of the distribution and abundance of habitat in recent reviews of northeast ronments that are widely distributed across a variety of reef-associated fishery resources. fish habitat, except for boulders (Lang­ the predominantly flat or undulating, sandy This review provides a preliminary summary ton et al., 1995; Auster and Langton, areas of the Bight and include both natural of information found on relative distribution 1999), and they are not considered as rocky areas and man-made structures, e.g. and abundance of reef habitat in the Bight, demersal fish nursery habitat in the shipwrecks and artificial reefs. Although the living marine resources and biological there are natural rock and shellfish reefs in communities that commonly use it, threats Bight (Steves et al., 2000). In the waters southern New England coastal waters and to this habitat and its biological resources, south of Cape Hatteras, reef habitats estuaries throughout the Bight, most reef and the value or potential value of artificial are recognized as important to fisher­ habitats in the region appear to be man- reefs to fishery or habitat managers. The pur­ ies and some of the species found in made, mostly wrecks and “obstructions,” and pose of the review is to initiate an awareness man-made reef habitat modification/creation among resource managers about this habi­ the Middle Atlantic Bight are also part may be increasing. Very little effort has been tat, its role in resource management, and the of those fisheries (Miller and Richards, devoted to the study of this habitat’s dis- need for research. 1979; Parker and Mays, 1998). 24 Marine Fisheries Review Although hard bottom habitats off these varied roles involving fishery and cludes references to species, such as southern New England were explored habitat management, there is need to aquatic birds, that interact with reef­ briefly by naturalist dredge in the latter begin to better understand the commu­ associated fishes. half of the nineteenth century (Verrill, nity dynamics and fishery value of this 1872), submarine canyon and tilefish habitat type in the Bight. Characteristics of Reef habitats were examined by submarine This paper summarizes available in­ Habitats in the Bight (Valentine et al., 1980), and some at­ formation in four parts: A reef habitat can be composed of tention was given to biological fouling natural materials (such as rocks used (Redfield and Ketchum, 1952), little 1) A characterization and preliminary for shoreline rip rap jetties), sometimes other work has been done to examine assessment of the abundance and placed by man, or composed of manu­ this habitat type in the Bight. Reef distribution of reef habitats in the factured materials (such as sunken ves­ habitats in the Bight, although not Bight; sels). Some biogenic micro-structures, as wide in occurrence and coverage 2) Known or probable fishery resource e.g. coralline algae; anemone, poly­ as the glacially scoured, rocky areas associations with reef habitats, sev­ chaete, or amphipod tubes; or cobble or of the Gulf of Maine (Oldale et al., eral species of which are currently dead or fossil molluscan shell patches, 1973), or the fossil coral rock and live considered “overfished” (NMFS, have some reduced characteristics of coral patch reefs south of Cape Hat­ 1999b), including some endangered a reef habitat. These can support small­ teras (Menzies et al., 1966), may have marine species; er organisms or life stages; Auster et become common enough to warrant 3) What is known of the biological al. (1995) discusses this use of micro­ consideration of their role in fishery communities that are associated with habitat. After a period of submersion management in the Bight. Although various estuarine, coastal, and conti­ and epifaunal colonization, most reef not as common or as spectacular as in nental shelf reef habitats; and habitats have a similar appearance and the tropics, reef-like habitats (especial­ 4) Discusses status and trends in reef function, but there can be subtle differ­ ly shipwrecks) also support recreation­ habitats, threats to these habitats, ences between natural and man-made al diving in the Bight, and many divers some uses of man-made reefs to reef habitats; the characteristics of each harvest reef fish resources by spear manage marine resources, and infor­ type are reviewed separately. The basic (fish) or hand (lobsters). This recre­ mational or research needs. source of information on the distribu­ ational diving generates economic ben­ tion of reef habitats is NOAA’s NOS efits to nearby businesses through sales This summary is intended to create Hydrographic Surveys Division Auto­ and services. an awareness of this habitat in the Bight mated Wreck and Obstruction Informa­ The introduction of manufactured and serve the information needs of hab­ tion System (AWOIS, 1997), although materials as reef habitat, by both ac­ itat and fishery resource managers. this database only includes structures cidental and intentional depositions, is or reefs that might be of concern to expanding in the Bight. These habitats The Middle Atlantic Bight Reefs navigation, and many small “reefs” or and their associated biological commu­ The Bight generally is defined to in­ “snags” are not included in the data­ nities need the ecosystem/community­ clude estuarine and continental shelf base. This database is augmented by a level attention given similar reef habi­ waters and seabed between Cape Cod, summary of artificial reef construction tats in the adjacent Gulf of Maine and Mass., and Cape Hatteras, N.C. It is from sources involved in various state South Atlantic Bight areas (e.g. McCar­ a broad indentation in the coast line artificial reef programs, and a survey thy et al., 1979; Hulbert et al., 1982; between these boundaries with inflec­ of relevant literature. The very abun­ Wenner et al., 1983; Chester et al., tions at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay dant and widely distributed shellfish 1984; Sedberry and Van Dolah, 1984; and New York harbor (Fig. 1). Its reefs, submerged pipelines, and inter­ Witman, 1985; Witman and Sebens, nonreef benthic environment and as­ tidal man-made structures, e.g. jetties 1988; Kirby-Smith, 1989).