Marine Institute
SeaRover Dive Video

D671 Transect 21 Shipwreck hosting abundant colonies of corals. P3. Water depth: 157-140m. Feature: VMS data and local fisher knowledge

Highlights: Zoanthids on wreck Conger eeel

Of note: Desmophyllum and large numbers of the blackbelly rosefish.

A shipwreck is observed, with large numbers of pollack and blackbelly rosefish. Hydrozoans, soft corals, cup coral and the stone coral Desmophyllum are all observed on the super- structures. Crabs, lobster, galatheids and ophiuroids also present.

START VIDEO [00:00:00]/16:09. Shipwreck hosting abundant colonies of corals. [1] [00:01:00] ROV stops for pushcore sampling. Organic matter on the seafloor . [00:17:00] [2] ropes and anthropogenic litter present with sparse ophiuroids. [00:18:00] Here massive fishing net on the sea floor. [00:18:00] ROV approaches a shipwreck. The visibility is poor and it is difficult to ID the epifauna living on the side of the shipwreck. [00:19:00] A few individuals of fish are encountered, however, not all of them are identifiable due to distance and poor visibility. [00:22:00] Here video shows the side of the shipwreck with organic matter (unidentified) attached to the artificial substrata. [00:23:00] Abundant shoal of fish (possibly pollocks Pollachius pollachius). [00:24:00] Now white zoanthids are recorded on the shipwreck. This population is abundant and it co-habits with Anthipathes dichotoma. [00:26:00] Here several parts of the shipwreck are observed. Ring-shaped objects are on the sea floor next to ropes and fishing gears. Some colonies of Lophelia reefs living on large cobbles next to shipwreck. [00:29:00] a variety of epifauna was observed on the other side of the shipwreck. On this side, a colony of white zoanthids is observed living on nets and ropes. Several species of fish have been recorded, including small individuals of blackbelly rosefish (Helicolenus dactylopterus). [00:36:00] Here a white rope. Visibility is poor and hard to identify where the rope is leading to. It is clear that the rope is attached to the ship and it extends up on the water column. [00:39:00] Here a few dead fish are hooked on a fishing net, which hangs over the shipwreck. [00:41:00] Visibility is poor and ROV is hovering on top of the shipwreck. END VIDEO [00:43:00]/16:44.

Progression Start Duration Code Name
1[00:00:01]23:59:59SS.SsaSublittoral sands and muddy sands
2[00:17:50]00:25:53CR.FCR.FouFaFouling faunal communities

Cnidaria
Pachycerianthus multiplicatus : 458 : R
Bolocera tuediae : 12 : R
Actinauge richardi : 499 : O
Caryophyllia sp. 2 : 6 : F
Lophelia pertusa : 250 : R
Zoanthidae sp. 1 : 122 : R
Zoanthidae sp. 2 : 586 : A
Nemertesia ramosa : 1310 : R

Annelida
Lanice sp. 1 : 262 : R
Arthropoda
Homarus gammarus : 1300 : R
Majoidea sp. : 1121 : R
Echinodermata
Ophiomusa lymani : 551 : F
Ophiuroidea sp. 10 : 640 : R
Stichastrella rosea : 198 : R

Chordata
Argentinidae sp. 1 : 1188 : R
Pollachius pollachius : 1302 : R
Helicolenus dactylopterus : 227 : R

Number of species = 17

© Marine Institute, MERC Consultants, Bernard Picton 2022