Showing papers on "Monterey Canyon published in 2012"

The Ascension–Monterey Canyon System: Habitats of Demersal Fishes and Macroinvertebrates Along the Central California Coast of the USA

Abstract: Publisher Summary The Ascension–Monterey canyon system, located in the vicinity of Monterey Bay about 160 km south of San Francisco, is the largest seafloor physiographic feature on the continental margin of California. This feature is located within the tectonically deformed 100-km-wide boundary between the Pacific and North American plates, represented by the San Andreas Fault system. This system includes six submarine canyons: Ascension, Ano Nuevo, Cabrillo, Soquel, Monterey, and Carmel. The abundance of demersal fishes and their associated seafloor habitats (as defined by substratum type and depth) have been characterized for five of the canyon heads within the Ascension–Monterey canyon system using quantitative visual transect methods. The attention is focussed on the heads of these canyons, which provide diverse habitats of rocky, steep relief surrounded by low-relief sand and mud in water depths from 20 to 800 m. The rock exposures are manifested locally as ledges, crevices, and overhangs that afford refuge to fishes. Rockfishes (Sebastes spp.) dominate fish assemblages in the canyon heads and occur in all types of habitats. Fish assemblages in these canyons discriminate based on depth and substratum. Common macroinvertebrates include brittle stars (Ophiacantha spp.), sessile sea cucumbers (Psolus squamatus), fragile pink urchins (Allocentrotus fragilis), crinoids (Florometra serratissima), and spot prawns (Pandalus platyceros) occurring on mixed mud, rock, and cobbles. Some large invertebrates [e.g., various sponges, gorgonians, sea pens, and basket stars (Gorgonocephalus eucnemis)] may be components of habitat for demersal fishes in these canyons.