
Community - University Research for Recovery Alliance
Critical Habitat
Deep Sea Corals![]() Our findings showed that DFO trawl survey data and fishermen's ecological knowledge on coral distributions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence identified similar distributions for soft corals and sea pens. Our research indicated that soft corals are found in shallow water throughout the Gulf and sea pens are concentrated in the deeper channels, especially the Esquiman, Anticosti, and Laurentian Channels. Fishermen's ecological knowledge identified a broader diversity of coral species in the Gulf than did the DFO trawl surveys, including large gorgonians and scleractinian cup corals. These observations suggested that the large gorgonians likely were not sampled by the DFO trawl surveys because they occurred on "untrawlable" bottoms. Several fishermen noted that they had observed higher catches of target species (shrimp, halibut) in sets that contained high bycatch of sea pens. Some of the areas identified in interviews with fishermen have been highlighted for direct observation by drop-video camera or ROV. Researchers and PartnersLead Researcher: Other Researcher: Student: Community Partner: Materials![]() Mapping the distribution of deep-sea corals in the Northern Gulf of St. Lawrence using both scientific and local ecological knowledge A poster by Emile Colpron, Evan Edinger, and Barb Neis. Presented October 2009. Community Radio InterviewsEmile Colpron discusses his participation in the CURRA project with Ivan Emke.
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