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Benthic Zone
Continental Slope
The steep drop-off from continental shelf to abyssal plain - transitional zone where deep-water fisheries operate.
Depth: 200-4,000m Light: Twilight
📖 Overview
The continental slope descends 200-4000m at gradients of 4-25 degrees. Deep-water species like orange roughy, Chilean sea bass, and grenadiers inhabit these depths. Bottom trawling this zone caused controversial "seamount stripping" fisheries in the 1990s-2000s.