Demersal fish

General Information

North Sea

Baltic Sea

Clyde Marine Region

Adriatic Sea

Eastern Mediterranean Sea

Demersal fish

Layer Info
Category	Ecology
Sub-category	Fish

Description

Demersal fish is a type of fish that is primarily inhabits the lower depths of a body of water, particularly the ocean floor. The term "demersal fish" does not refer to a specific species, but rather it describes a group or category of fish based on their shared habitat preference.

These fish are adapted to life near or on the seabed, and are commonly found in coastal areas, continental shelves, and deep-sea environments. These types of fish share features that make them well-suited for this habitat, such as flattened bodies, strong pectoral fins, and specialized feeding structures. This group of species can be subdivided into 'large' and 'small' demersal fish, and includes various types of flatfish, cod, flounder, skates, and many more. Demersal fish play a crucial role in marine ecosystems as they interact with other species in the benthic (bottom-dwelling) environment.

Example species: Squalus acanthias (Spurdog)

Habitat: Demersal

Main role: Predator

Trophic level: 4,7

IUCN Red List Assessment: Vulnerable

Diet: Spurdogs are opportunistic feeders with a diverse diet. They primarily consume a variety of small fish and invertebrate, for example squid is significant part of their diet.

Threats: The most significant threat to superdogs is overfishing, as they are commercially valueble for their meat, liver oil and fins. This has lead the population to decline in some regions. They are also often caught as by-catch and are sensitive to pollution of their nursery areas where their raise their young.

Information

The following species of Demersal fish are in the North Sea Edition: Whiting (Merlangius merlangus), Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus), Saithe (Pollachius virens), Spurdog (Squalus acanthias), Small Sharks, Hake, Monkfish (Lophius piscatorius), Catfish (Silurus glanis) and Juvenile Shark which could refer to several species found in the North Sea but an example is the Lesser Spotted Dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula).

The Demersal fish in the North Sea Edition mainly prey on Sandeel and Herring, but also Mackerel, Flatfish, Cod and other Demersal Fish. When they are young their diet mainly consists of Benthic Invertebrates, however as they grow older, they become important prey for Seals, Cetaceans and Windfarm indifferent seabirds. Demersal fish avoid both Noise and Bottom Disturbance and are caught through Bottom Trawl fishing.

Types

• Very Low Density
• Low Density
• Medium Density
• High Density
• Very High Density

Metadata

Data Source

Demersal fish is a month-by-month, computer generated data layer following calculations made by the ecosystem simulation (EwE). For more information on how Ecopath-with-Ecosim (EwE) works, please visit our Wiki page or visit the official EwE website at https://ecopath.org.

For detailed information on how the simulation works for the North Sea Edition, we recommend further exploring our research publication called "Combining ecosystem modeling with serious gaming in support of transboundary maritime spatial planning".

Not applicable. This layer is currently not integrated into the MSP Challenge Baltic Sea Edition.

Not applicable. This layer is currently not integrated into the MSP Challenge Clyde Marine Region Edition.

Not applicable. This layer is currently not integrated into the MSP Challenge Adriatic Sea Edition.

Not applicable. This layer is currently not integrated into the MSP Challenge Eastern Mediterranean Sea Edition.