Who: Anna Metaxas

What: Ecology and conservation of deep-water corals on the NW Atlantic continental margin

Deep-water corals grow slowly, live long and have a three-dimensional structure that provides spawning, feeding and nursery habitat for many species in the otherwise relatively homogeneous deep sea. Because their life-history traits may hinder recovery of deep-water corals from disturbance, such as fishing, and because of their ecological significance, deep-water coral aggregations are considered Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems that warrant protection from human activities. In Atlantic Canada, we have been studying the biology, ecology, distribution and population connectivity of the two numerically dominant deep-water gorgonian corals, Primnoa resedaeformis and Paragorgia arborea for more than a decade. Our research has determined that these corals are predominantly found in deeper than regional average depths along the continental slope and can form significant aggregations in certain canyons. We have shown that the effectiveness of these closures and MPAs cannot be assessed in periods less than a decade and have suggested that boundary adjustments may be required in some instances. Maintenance and recovery of these aggregations are strongly dependent and the connectivity of these populations which is seasonally and interannually variable and poorly understood. Our has contributed to the design of the network of offshore marine protected areas in our region.

When: Friday, March 6, 2020

Where: 10am, George Needler Boardroom, Room VS-427, van Steenburgh Building, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia