Length-weight relationship of some deep-sea fish inhabiting the continental slope beyond 250m depth along the west coast of India

The length–weight relationships of 22 species of deep-sea fishes inhabiting the continental slopes beyond 250 m depth along the West Coast of India are presented. The parameters a and b of the equation W=a Lb were estimated. The fish samples were collected from trawl surveys during 1999 to 2001 on board the FORV Sagar Sampada at a depth range of 250 to 600 m in the area between 7°N and 20°N latitude. The value of b ranged from 1.94 to 3.36.

Fishery-independent Bottom Trawl Surveys for Deep-water Fishes and Invertebrates of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, 2002–08

From 2002 through 2008, the Mississippi Laboratories of the NMFS Southeast Fisheries Science Center, NOAA, conducted fishery-independent bottom trawl surveys for continental shelf and outer-continental shelf deep-water fishes and invertebrates of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (50–500 m bottom depths). Five-hundred and ninety species were captured at 797 bottom trawl locations. Standardized survey gear and randomly selected survey sites have facilitated development of a fishery-independent time series that characterizes species diversity, distributions, and catch per unit effort. The fishery-independent surveys provide synoptic descriptions of deep-water fauna potentially impacted by various anthropogenic factors.

Agassiz, Garman, Albatross, and the Collection of Deep-sea Fishes

The first of Alexander Agassiz’ voyages on the U.S. Fish Commission steamer Albatross in 1891 yielded significant scientific results. This paper reviews the background of the voyage, including the career path that led Agassiz to the back deck of the Albatross. We also give a brief account of the life and work of Samuel Garman. Garman wrote up the ichthyological material from this Albatross voyage in a magnificent book on deep-sea fishes published in 1899. This book was exceptional in its coverage, anatomical detail, and recognition of phylogenetically important morphology.

Remote Camera and Trapping Survey of the Deep-water Shrimps Heterocarpus laevigatus and H. ensifer and the Geryonid Crab Chaceon granulatus in Palau

Time-lapse remote photo-sequences at 73-700 m depth off Palau, Western Caroline Islands, show that the caridean shrimp Heterocarpus laevigatus tends to be a solitary animal, occurring below ~350 m, that gradually accumulates around bait sites over a prolonged period. A smaller speies, H. ensifer, tends to move erratically in swarms, appearing in large numbers in the upper part of its range (<250 m) during the evening crepuscular period and disappearing at dawn. Trapping and photsequence data indicate the depth range of H. ensifer (during daylight) is ~250-550 M, while H. laevigatus ranges from 350 m to at least 800 m, along with the geryonid crab Chaceon granulatus. Combined trapping for Heterocarpus laevigatus and Chaceon granulatus, using a three-chamber box-trap and extended soak times (48-72 hr), may be an appropriate technique for small-scale deep-water fisheries along forereef slopes of Indo-Pacific archipelagoes.