Journal Article
Overview of the WIO-Benth Project – benthic habitats and megafauna from soft sediments in the Western Indian Ocean
Sean Fennessy; Bernadine Everett; Fiona MacKay; Silvia Abdula; Jean Jacaques Be; Andrew Green; Chris Jenkins; Esther Fondo; Cang Hui; Amon Kimeli; Mary Kishe; Alex Mafuru; Sashan Manikam; Rui Mutombene; Noah Ngisiange; Julius Okondo; Najoro Randrianalisoa; Michael Roberts; Mathew Silas; Ignacio Sobrino; Arved Staby; Pascal Thoya; Mariana Tomalin; Patrick Vianello; Vernon Visser
Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science · Issue 1/2025 · pp. 1-17 · 2025
Abstract
The Western Indian Ocean (WIO) hosts substantial marine biodiversity, which is better known from inshore and coastal hab- itats. The diversity from soft sediments of the shelf and slope is much less known regionally, which was the premise for the WIO-Benth Project. Existing seabed information and bottom trawl catch data were compiled for five countries (Kenya, Tanza- nia, Mozambique, South Africa, and Madagascar), to characterize seabed habitats and benthic (demersal trawl) communities of the continental shelf and upper slope in the western part of the WIO. Soft sediment (sand, mud) habitats were spatially dominant (54 %) relative to rock/mixed habitats; associated trawled fauna from these habitats were dominated by Chordata (fishes) and Arthropoda (mainly crustaceans). This overview of the special issue on the WIO-Benth Project provides a summary of the general results, greater details on which are provided in the issue’s constituent papers. In the process of compiling infor- mation and data from the region, the WIO-Benth Project has provided new knowledge to assist with marine spatial planning and decision-making in the WIO.