Occurrence, distribution, and feeding habits of juvenile lumpfish, Cyclopterus lumpus L. in the Bay of Fundy

Juvenile lumpfish (< 55 mm length) occur in near-surface waters of the Bay of Fundy from July to September. Samples collected simultaneously with neuston and subsurface nets indicate that the juveniles occur primarily in the top few centimetres of the water column. Seasonal changes in distributio...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian Journal of Zoology
Main Authors: Daborn, Graham R., Gregory, Robert S.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1983
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z83-105
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z83-105
Description
Summary:Juvenile lumpfish (< 55 mm length) occur in near-surface waters of the Bay of Fundy from July to September. Samples collected simultaneously with neuston and subsurface nets indicate that the juveniles occur primarily in the top few centimetres of the water column. Seasonal changes in distribution may be related to wind drift of surface waters and the residual circulation of the inner Bay. The length–weight relationship (W = 8.7 L 3.36 × 10 −6 ) indicates allometric growth up to 50 mm, at which time lumpfish probably leave surface waters and adopt a pelagic or benthic existence. Juvenile lumpfish feed on a wide range of near-surface plankton, shifting with growth from harpacticoid copepods (particularly Harpacticus chelifer) to the amphipods Calliopius laeviusculus and Parathemisto gaudichaudi.