(pdf 8.3 MB)
E. Kenchington1, M. Best1, A. Cogswell1, K. MacIsaac1, F. J. Murillo-Perez2, B. MacDonald1,
V. Wareham3, S. D. Fuller4, H. I. Ø. Jørgensbye5, V. Sklyar6 and A. B. Thompson7
1Fisheries and Oceans, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
2Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Vigo, Spain
3Fisheries and Oceans, Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Center, St John’s,
Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
4Biology Department, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
5Gronlands Fiskerilicenskontrol, Greenland Home Rule, Nuuk, Greenland
6Knipovich Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography,
Murmansk, Russian Federation
7NAFO Secretariat, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
Kenchington, E., M. Best, A. Cogswell, K. MacIsaac, F. J. Murillo-Perez, B. MacDonald, V. Wareham, S. D. Fuller, H. I. Ø. Jørgensbye, V. Sklyar, and A. B. Thompson. 2009. Coral Identification Guide NAFO Area. NAFO Sci. Coun. Studies, 42: 1-35. doi:10.2960/S.v42.m1
Abstract
Accurate reporting of benthic corals is increasingly important for mapping distributions and for the continued development of sustainable fisheries under the ecosystem approach. This coral identification guide is intended to help those on-board commercial and research fishing vessels to identify and record the various species of coral likely to be commonly encountered in fishing trawls. The guide is clear and simple to use, and will provide names to the majority of these beautiful bottom-dwelling animals. The photographs are typically of caught specimens taken on the deck, as this gives the best picture of what is actually seen. Sadly, we rarely personally see corals in their natural habitat, except by looking at films and photos taken by deep underwater cameras.