Multi‐Taxon Predictions of Deep‐Sea Corals and Sponges From Stacked Species Distribution Models in the United States West Coast Exclusive Economic Zone and Relation to Trawl Closure Zones Diversity and Distributions

Abundant species distribution models (SDMs) of deep-sea corals and sponges (DSCS) allow one to make community-level predictions about DSCS. Pairing that with the conservation information of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs) due to their sensitivity to seafloor trawling, one can assess the efficacy of established seafloor protections, known as Essential Fish Habitat and Conservation Areas (trawl closure areas), in the United States West Coast on a multi-taxon basis. From this, we seek to answer the following questions: (1) can accurate multi-taxon, trawl-sensitive DSCS distribution predictions be made for the US West Coast and (2) to what extent do current trawl protections overlap with multi-taxon distribution predictions and what are the conservation and management implications?