Vertical Distribution of Northern Shrimp ( Pandalus borealis ) Larvae in the Gulf of St Lawrence; Implications for Trophic Interactions and Transport

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• Main Authors: Ouellet, Patrick, Lefaivre, Denis
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1994
• Subjects: Aquatic Science; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; northern shrimp; Pandalus borealis
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f94-014; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f94-014

In the northwestern Gulf of St. Lawrence in spring 1987 and 1988, stage I and II northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) larvae were concentrated in the upper (<30 m) layers above the permanent pycnocline and coincident with subsurface chlorophyll a and suspended particle concentration maxima; this was above other macrozooplankton taxa in the daytime. Shrimp larvae maintained their vertical position relative to the maximum density gradient in the water column in daytime but moved towards the surface at night. Estimation of larval residual transport (~66 km) during the first developmental stage (12 d) corresponded to the horizontal scale of patches of stage I shrimp larvae in the northwest sector of the Gulf. The result is consistent with the suggestion of localized and short-duration larval emergence in the sector. The direction of mass transport and current speed were similar throughout the upper layers of the water column; consequently, the direction and magnitude of larval shrimp transport were not dependent on their vertical position. We suggest that the vertical distribution maintained by shrimp larvae is a mechanism to ensure maximum food availability and to optimize development time in the stratified water of the northwestern Gulf of St. Lawrence.