filamentous growth, although we did observe some irregular shaped 

 clear mesh areas, usually with an entangled fish or shark in the 

 center of the clear area (Fig. 3). The catch in the net was 

 predominantly dogfish, Squalus acanthius , with more than 37 

 individuals caught in the net. The dogfish were in various stages 

 from live to a stage where only the notochord remained. Other 

 species caught and their respective numbers observed in the net 

 were bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix, (2 dead); lobster, Homarus 

 americanus, (6 alive); spider crab, Lithodes sp. , (2 alive); cancer 

 crab, Cancer borealis/irroratus . (36 alive); and the skeletal 

 remains of one large (35 pounds or more) unidentified bony fish, 

 probably a cod, Gadus morhua or pollock, Polachius virens. 

 Hagfish, Myxine glutinosa , were often seen preying on the dogfish 

 and bluefish. 



Figure 3 portrays a "typical" 10 m section of the 700 m ghost 

 gillnet discovered in June 1986 on Stellwagen Bank showing a 

 number of net conditions, i.e. stretched horizontal, wrapped around 

 boulders and rocks, and vertical twists. The horizontal portion 

 had a maximum verticle profile of one meter. Vertical twists rose 

 to a vertical profile of three meters. Dogfish (1,6) were the most 

 frequent vertebrate species caught. Dogfish remains (3) and other 

 finfish (9) and exoskeletal remains were also observed. A 

 filamentous growth was observed on most of the exposed webbing 

 except in the immediate vicinity of live sharks and finfish, whose 

 "thrashing about" movements tended to maintain a clear mesh area. 

 Other growth on the net, especially the floatline, included the 

 stalked ascidian (2), sponge (5) and the anemone (8). Finfish such 

 as the sea raven (7) were found to take shelter in folds of the net 

 without being entangled. 



In July, 1986 we revisited the 700 m ghost net one month 

 after its discovery, with the unmanned vehicle Mini Rover Mark II . 

 A survey of 130 m of this net indicated the vertical profile, 

 averaging 0.5 m, remained the same. There were no live or recently 

 deceased fish or crustaceans in this portion of the net. Only the 

 remains of several dogfish (notochords) were visible. Hagfish were 

 still frequently observed near the net. 



The most seriously impacted species we observed was the 

 lobster. This impact relates to the economic importance of the 

 lobster to the commercial fishing industry rather than to the 

 actual numbers observed in the ghost net. During the two visits to 

 the net we observed 3-7 lobsters caught. We presumed that once 

 caught in the net they perished. However, each of these lobsters 

 demonstrated some degree of mobility while snared in the net; with 

 the high abundance of fouled invertebrates on the mesh of the net 

 and the abundance of invertebrates in the immediate vicinity of the 

 net it is entirely possible that these lobsters could feed and 

 survive for weeks and perhaps months. 



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