Trawl-induced Damage to Sponges Observed From a Research Submersible

Three experimental trawl paths subjected to a single pass with the trawl in 1996 in about 200 m of water on the eastern Gulf of Alaska continental shelf were revisited in July 1997, 1 year post-trawl. Many large, erect sponges, the taxa impacted most significantly, had been removed or damaged by the trawl. Sponges in the cold, deep water of the Gulf of Alaska were slow to recover from trawling effects. These findings contrast with recovery times for shallow, warmwater sponges and may have fishery management implications for cold-water regions.