Temporal Dynamics of Fishing Affect the Biodiversity of Macrobenthic Epifaunal Communities in the Coastal Waters of Ningbo, East China Sea

Spatio-temporal patterns of macrobenthic epifaunal communities with fishing disturbances indicate that the fishing process directly leads to a decrease in diversity and substratum sediment homogenization. However, it has not yet been explored exclusively at the community reconstruction dynamic level with fishing changes over time. This study monitored the macrobenthic epifaunal communities during the implementation of a fishing moratorium policy in order to elucidate the fishing-driven variations in the macrobenthic epifaunal communities. Bottom trawl surveys were conducted before (BEF), during (DUR), and after (AFT) a summer fishing moratorium. During each survey, macrobenthic species and surface sediment samples were collected from two transects located at two different depths. The results showed that the communities in the DUR phase were undisturbed, while the communities were disturbed in both the BEF and AFT phases. Compared with the BEF and AFT phases, there was an abundance of peak spawning species as well as the impact on macrobenthic communities in relation to the lightened fishing disturbance, significant increases in species richness, abundance, and biomass were observed in the DUR phase. Prohibition of fishing during summer facilitates the resilience of macrobenthic communities by maximizing spawning and reducing bottom disturbance to larval, thereby enhancing overall fishery resources.