2007. Dispersion of eggs, larvae and pelagic juveniles of White Hake (Urophycis tenuis, Mitchill 1815) on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland in relation to subsurface currents

• Main Authors: Guoqi Han, David W. Kulka
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: GIS; Grand Bank; Labrador Current; larval dispersion; ocean current; recruitment; Urophycis tenuis; White Hake; Hake; Newfoundland; Northwest Atlantic
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.607.9342; http://journal.nafo.int/41/han/16-han.pdf

(Urophycis tenuis) in relation to ocean currents of the Grand Bank: A modelling approach. J. Northw. Atl. Fish. Sci., 41: 183–196. doi:10.2960/J.v41.m627 White hake (Urophycis tenuis) is a temperate demersal fish species distributed in the northwest Atlantic. On the Grand Bank, it is concentrated mainly to the southwest where water temperatures are warmest. Survey data indicate that mature adult females aggregate on the southwest (SW) Grand Bank slope in spring and first-year juveniles settle on the southern, shallow Grand Bank in autumn. Dispersion patterns and survival potential of eggs, larvae and juveniles were investigated with re-spect to the effects of location (horizontal and vertical) and timing (monthly) of spawning under monthly-mean circulation fields, M2 tidal currents and associated turbulent mixing computed from a three-dimensional regional ocean circulation model. The results indicate that releases below the surface Ekman layer and in late spring have the highest chances for juveniles to settle in the southern Grand Bank nursery area in autumn. On an interannual scale, the strong recruitment of the 1999 year-class has been used as an example to examine the potential linkage between recruitment and the strength of the Labrador Current. A weak along-slope current and strong on-bank flow contributed to the strong recruitment of the 1999 year-class.