FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 84, NO. 3 



METHODS 



Grab sample methodology (gear description, sam- 

 ple processing, data reduction, bathymetry, tem- 

 perature, and sediments) is reported in Wigley and 

 Theroux (1981). A chi-square (x 2 ) test, employing 

 contingency tables (Richmond 1964), was used to 

 assess ceriantharian occurrence at grab sample sta- 

 tions (relation to latitude, depth, bottom water 

 temperature, and sediment type). 



Table 2 lists the submersibles used and sampling 

 gear employed by each. Quantitative data were ob- 

 tained with externally mounted 35 mm camera- 

 strobe systems. Qualitative ecological and behavioral 

 information was acquired with 35 mm hand-held 

 cameras, audio tapes, and video tapes made with a 

 hand-held or externally mounted video camera. In 

 situ faunal and sediment collections were made with 

 the submersibles' manipulator arms. Only those 

 dives performed to assess the distribution of mega- 

 benthos and associated habitat types were analyzed. 



The externally mounted 35 mm camera systems 

 used on Nekton Gamma, Johnson-Sea-Link, and 

 Alvin were quantitatively calibrated, assessing 3.6 

 m 2 , 7.0 m 2 , and 15.0 m 2 of ocean floor per photo- 

 graphic frame, respectively (Bland et al. 1976; 

 Cooper and Uzmann 1981 8 ). 



Photographs were read on either a light table with 

 a hand-held magnifying glass or motorized micro- 

 film reader with a 36 x 36 cm screen and 15 x 

 magnification lens. Each photograph was time- 

 annotated, thus allowing correlation with depth, 



8 Cooper, R. A., and J. R. Uzmann. 1981. Georges Bank and 

 Submarine Canyon living resources and habitat baselines in oil and 

 gas drilling areas. Northeast Monitoring Program Annual Report 

 for FY 80. Unpubl. manuscr., 34 p. Northeast Fisheries Center 

 Woods Hole Laboratory, National Marine Fisheries Service, 

 NOAA, Woods Hole, MA 02543. 



temperature, slope angle, substrate-habitat type, 

 and current speed and direction documented on 

 hand-held audio recorders during the dives. 



RESULTS 



Species Identification 



Ceriantharia occurred at 229 of the 1,295 grab 

 sample stations; 990 anemones were caught at 139 

 stations, whole tubes only at 29 stations, and tube 

 fragments at 61 stations (Fig. 2). Two species, Ceri- 

 antheopsis americanus and Cerianthus borealis, 

 were identified from grab samples (at four stations), 

 the remaining anemones were identified only as 

 Ceriantharia. The mean blotted wet weight of the 

 990 anemones was 5.0 g (95% C.L. = ±3.6); how- 

 ever, more than 90% weighed less than the mean. 



Ceriantharia occurred at 82% of the submersible 

 dive sites (Appendix Tables 1, 2) and at every ma- 

 jor geographic feature visited (Fig. 2, Table 3). Sub- 

 mersible samples have not yet yielded anemones 

 suitable for identification to the species level. Figure 

 3 shows three of the four species (Cerianthids A, B, 

 C, and D) photographed from submersibles, and 

 Table 3 classifies the species by morphological 

 features apparent in photographs. 



The minimum gross Ceriantharia size (height 

 above seafloor or width of exposed tentacle crown 

 and/or tube) visible in photographs was about 5 cm. 

 It was not unusual to see large Cerianthid B or C 

 tubes 20 cm above the seafloor. Based on laboratory 

 examination of 61 anemones and a few specimens 

 which were photographed in situ and then collected 

 with the manipulator arm, a gross size of 5 cm cor- 

 responds to an anemone wet weight of about 16 g 

 (3 times the mean weight of anemones captured with 

 grab samplers). 



Table 2.— Submersible, cruise year, and gear used for data col- 

 lection. PC8 = Perry Model C8, NG = Nekton Gamma, AL = 

 Alvin, and JSL = Johnson-Sea-Link. 



Relation to Latitude 



Ceriantharia occurrence at grab sample stations 

 was not independent of latitude (x 2 , P < 0.05). Oc- 

 currence was highest in three areas: off Chesapeake 

 Bay Gat. 37° to 38°N); south of Cape Cod in the zone 

 also including the southern half of Georges Bank 

 (lat. 40° to 41°N); and on the shelf off Nova Scotia 

 (lat. 44° to 45 °N) (Fig. 4). 



From submersibles, Cerianthid B was the only 

 species seen on Georges Bank, or north of 41 °N 

 [Wilkinson Basin (Gulf of Maine) and Corsair 

 Canyon]; Cerianthids A, C, and D were all seen in 

 canyons or on the slope south of Georges Bank 

 (Table 3). 



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