Diel Vertical Migration of Pandalus borealis in Kachemak Bay, Alaska

• Published in: Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada
• Main Author: Barr, Louis
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1970
• Subjects: General Medicine; Kachemak; Pandalus borealis; Alaska
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f70-071; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f70-071

Catches of Pandalus borealis by surface-to-bottom pot fishing in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, showed that this species was distributed in large numbers throughout the water column at night and suggested a diel vertical migration. The shrimp apparently left the vicinity of the bottom about dusk and returned about dawn; the apparent length of time they were off bottom was directly related to the length of the night. Bottom trawling clearly showed lower availability of P. borealis on bottom at night than during the day. Catches of shrimp by pot fishing and trawling indicated that small P. borealis have a greater tendency to migrate vertically than the larger individuals.