Larval Herring (Clupea harengus) Dispersion, Growth, and Survival in the St, Lawrence Estuary: Match/Mismatch or Membership/Vagrancy?

1990 ◽  
Vol 47 (10) ◽  
pp. 1898-1912 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis Fortier ◽  
Jacques A. Gagné
Keyword(s):  
Food Availability ◽  
Larval Fish ◽  
Clupea Harengus ◽  
Larval Abundance ◽  
Initial Growth ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary

The relative success of the 1985 spring and fall cohorts of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) in the St. Lawrence estuary was studied in relation to food availability (match/mismatch hypothesis) and hydrography (member/vagrant hypothesis). The development of the spring cohort (early June) matched remarkably well the development of suitable prey and larval abundance within the estuary decreased slowly (7.8%∙d−1). The fall cohort (mid-September) hatched in a period of low food availability and dwindled rapidly (28.9%∙d−1). The initial growth of both cohorts appeared limited by food. The stratification front limiting seaward drift was strong in the spring (0–80 j∙m−3) and weak in the fall (0–20 J∙m−3), suggesting that advection out of the estuary could also have contributed to the observed differences in the fate of the two cohorts. We conclude from this case study that spawning times and locations may have evolved to favor the initial cohesion of larval fish cohorts by limiting dispersion and that both transport and energetic processes can influence the success of a population at colonizing its dispersion area. The relative contribution of initial vagrancy and subsequent trophic interactions in determining final recruitment remains to be assessed.

Fickian Transport and the Dispersal of Fish Larvae in Estuaries

1982 ◽  
Vol 39 (8) ◽  
pp. 1150-1163 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Fortier ◽  
W. C. Leggett
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Distribution ◽  
Fish Larvae ◽  
Sampling Period ◽  
Clupea Harengus ◽  
Tidal Mixing ◽  
Larval Abundance ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Diel Vertical Migrations ◽  
Average Size

We studied the regulation of ichthyoplankton dispersion in the two-layer circulation of the St. Lawrence upper estuary by determining larval abundance and vertical distribution during high frequency sampling at three stations in May, June, and July, 1979. Monthly variations in capelin (Mallotus villosus) and Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus harengus) abundance were in agreement with the seasonal trends previously reported. Capelin larvae were concentrated in the surface layer, a situation which resulted in seaward drift. No significant growth was observed over the 60-d sampling period indicating continuous recruitment to, and removal from, the sampling area. Herring larvae were concentrated in the deep layer and were carried landward. The average size of herring larvae increased from the downstream to the upstream stations. Short-term fluctuations in the abundance and vertical distribution of the two species were interpreted in terms of the Fickian representation of transport for partially mixed estuaries. The major source of variation in abundance, at a given station, was the tidal advection of horizontal gradients. Capelin larvae and herring larvae smaller than 10 mm did not actively cross the pycnocline and were not submitted to the diffusive effect of the vertical current shear. The dispersal of these larvae was apparently passive. Herring larvae larger than 10 mm performed diel vertical migrations across the pycnocline and were dispersed in the horizontal plane at a faster rate than a passive contaminant of the environment. We conclude that the Fickian approach can be profitably applied to studies of dispersal and mortality of early larval stages of fish in estuaries.Key words: ichthyoplankton, St. Lawrence estuary, dispersion, transport, vertical distribution, diel migrations, variability, abundance, tidal mixing, Fickian

scholarly journals Spatial variations in CO<sub>2</sub> fluxes in the Saguenay Fjord (Quebec, Canada) and results of a water mixing model

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 547-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Delaigue ◽  
Helmuth Thomas ◽  
Alfonso Mucci
Keyword(s):  
Surface Waters ◽  
Brackish Water ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Mixing Model ◽  
Isotopic Tracers ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Saguenay Fjord ◽  
Spring Freshet ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary

Abstract. The Saguenay Fjord is a major tributary of the St. Lawrence Estuary and is strongly stratified. A 6–8 m wedge of brackish water typically overlies up to 270 m of seawater. Relative to the St. Lawrence River, the surface waters of the Saguenay Fjord are less alkaline and host higher dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations. In view of the latter, surface waters of the fjord are expected to be a net source of CO2 to the atmosphere, as they partly originate from the flushing of organic-rich soil porewaters. Nonetheless, the CO2 dynamics in the fjord are modulated with the rising tide by the intrusion, at the surface, of brackish water from the Upper St. Lawrence Estuary, as well as an overflow of mixed seawater over the shallow sill from the Lower St. Lawrence Estuary. Using geochemical and isotopic tracers, in combination with an optimization multiparameter algorithm (OMP), we determined the relative contribution of known source waters to the water column in the Saguenay Fjord, including waters that originate from the Lower St. Lawrence Estuary and replenish the fjord's deep basins. These results, when included in a conservative mixing model and compared to field measurements, serve to identify the dominant factors, other than physical mixing, such as biological activity (photosynthesis, respiration) and gas exchange at the air–water interface, that impact the water properties (e.g., pH, pCO2) of the fjord. Results indicate that the fjord's surface waters are a net source of CO2 to the atmosphere during periods of high freshwater discharge (e.g., spring freshet), whereas they serve as a net sink of atmospheric CO2 when their practical salinity exceeds ∼5–10.

Régime alimentaire et principaux facteurs influençant l'alimentation des larves de capelan (Mallotus villosus), d'éperlan (Osmerus mordax) et de hareng (Clupea harengus harengus) dans un estuaire partiellement mélangé

1986 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 968-979 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Courtois ◽  
J. J. Dodson
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Rate ◽  
Water Masses ◽  
Clupea Harengus ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Osmerus Mordax ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Daily Cycles ◽  
Food And Feeding ◽  
Clupea Harengus Harengus ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary

The food and feeding rate periodicity of larvae of capelin (Mallotus villiosus), smelt (Osmerus mordax), and herring (Clupea harengus harengus) were studied to determine the existence of potential interactions between the larvae of these three species. Analyses of the gut contents showed that larvae of capelin started to feed before yolk sac absorption but that the feeding rate was low (<20%) in the lower St. Lawrence estuary; the small size of capelin larvae restricted their feeding to tintinnids. Larvae of the two other species feed at a greater rate than capelin larvae and their food is more diverse. The temporal sequence of feeding incidences showed daily cycles for the three species and semidiurnal cycles for larvae of capelin and herring. The importance of light for feeding of larvae was confirmed by the daily cycles and by the greater abundance of larvae with gut contents in surface waters (0–20 m). From the absence of a relation between biotic factors (density of larvae) and the temporal evolution of feeding incidences, we suggest that semidiurnal cycles are mainly related to temperature changes associated with advection of water masses at the sampling stations. Even though similar reactions to certain environmental variables were observed, we concluded that interspecific competition is minimal between larvae of the three species. Although present at the same stations, larvae of different species mainly occurred in distinct water masses; they are also mainly of different size. Those characteristics force them to exploit organisms of different size and mainly of different species.

scholarly journals Can behavioural ecology unite hypotheses for fish recruitment?

2013 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 909-917 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Jørgensen ◽  
Anders Frugård Opdal ◽  
Øyvind Fiksen
Keyword(s):  
Predation Risk ◽  
Food Availability ◽  
Larval Fish ◽  
High Growth ◽  
Selective Predation ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Larval Behaviour ◽  
Fish Recruitment ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Risk Of Predation

Abstract Since the classical works by Hjort linked the survival of early life stages of fish to year-class strength and recruitment, fisheries science has struggled to understand the fate of fish eggs and larvae. Here we discuss how food availability will influence growth and survival of larvae when foraging behaviour is flexible and involves predation risk. We use theory to show that small larval fish with a high risk of predation should nevertheless forage intensely and maintain high growth rates. The implication of this is that food availability is more important to recruitment success than is often assumed from studies of growth rate, since the main effect of low food availability appears as increased predation rates. As larvae develop and grow bigger, they are expected to tailor their behaviour to balance food intake and predation risk, which makes it more probable that environmental fluctuations will cause growth differences. A theoretical framework including larval behaviour thus illustrates how several existing hypotheses, i.e. “bigger is better”, “stage duration”, and “growth-selective predation”, emphasize different aspects of larval success but can be understood more generally and coherently when interpreted in the light of behavioural trade-offs. This may lead to more consistent consideration of larval behaviour in biophysical models of fish recruitment.

Linking a linear pockmark train with a buried Palaeozoic structure: a case study from the St. Lawrence Estuary

2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 517-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Pinet ◽  
Mathieu Duchesne ◽  
Denis Lavoie
Keyword(s):  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary

scholarly journals Cancer in wildlife, a case study: beluga from the St. Lawrence estuary, Québec, Canada.

2002 ◽  
Vol 110 (3) ◽  
pp. 285-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Martineau ◽  
Karin Lemberger ◽  
André Dallaire ◽  
Philippe Labelle ◽  
Thomas P Lipscomb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary

Spatial Configurations of Young Herring (Clupea harengus harengus) larvae in the St. Lawrence Estuary: Importance of Biological and Physical Factors

1985 ◽  
Vol 42 (S1) ◽  
pp. s91-s104 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Henri ◽  
J. J. Dodson ◽  
H. Powles
Keyword(s):  
Specific Gravity ◽  
Water Column ◽  
Gravity Current ◽  
Yolk Sac ◽  
Clupea Harengus ◽  
Physical Factors ◽  
Residual Circulation ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Clupea Harengus Harengus ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary

The phenomenon of larval retention has recently been identified as central to the structuring of herring stocks. It has been shown that retention of larval fish populations in estuaries is dependent on active vertical migration, the capacity for which develops with growth, but the present study shows that mechanisms for spatial structuring of larval herring (Clupea harengus harengus) populations act at the earliest (yolk sac and post-yolk sac) stages. The study was carried out on the Isle-Verte stock of the St. Lawrence estuary in 1981 and 1982. Length–frequencies and tide-related abundance fluctuations suggested that larvae are retained in the study area. As a result, larvae remain aggregated throughout the sampling period of approximately 1 mo. Yolk sac larvae were significantly more abundant near the bottom than in the water column, while post-yolk sac larvae were significantly less abundant in the suprabenthic layer than in the water column. Larvae, being negatively buoyant, tend to sink in slack water but are transported upwards by turbulence resulting from tidal flows. The extent of vertical transport of larvae in the water column is greatest for larvae with lesser specific gravities; specific gravity is at a maximum at hatching and decreases to a minimum at yolk sac absorption. We conclude that larval specific gravity, current velocity, and the two-layer residual circulation are the major factors causing retention and aggregation of larvae.

Seasonal Distribution, Abundance, and Growth of Larval Capelin (Mallotus villosus) in the St. Lawrence Estuary and Northwestern Gulf of St. Lawrence

1977 ◽  
Vol 34 (11) ◽  
pp. 2008-2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernadette Jacquaz ◽  
Kenneth W. Able ◽  
William C. Leggett
Keyword(s):  
Primary Production ◽  
Larval Transport ◽  
Larval Abundance ◽  
Mallotus Villosus ◽  
Daily Growth ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Capelin Mallotus Villosus ◽  
Feeding Area ◽  
Anticosti Island ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary

Capelin (Mallotus villosus) larvae in the St. Lawrence estuary and northwestern Gulf of St. Lawrence were most abundant in 1974 and 1975 in the upper estuary in early June; this coincided with the spring peak in primary production. A spectacular decline (>99%) in larval abundance between June and September resulted principally from their downstream transport by currents. In October and November larval capelin were concentrated in a large counterclockwise gyre located in the northwestern Gulf between Anticosti Island and Pointe des Monts. This region is within the area of maximum primary production in the estuary and Gulf and may serve as an important feeding area for larval capelin. Length of capelin larvae at the end of the first growing season in the estuary and northwestern Gulf was greater than that of capelin from Newfoundland, Labrador, and Greenland. However, this difference may have resulted from sampling biases. Daily growth rates of capelin larvae from these areas were similar. Key words: capelin, Mallotus villosus, St. Lawrence, seasonal distributions, larval transport, growth, vertical distribution

Nearshore Ichthyoplankton of a North Temperate Estuary

1984 ◽  
Vol 41 (11) ◽  
pp. 1653-1663 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Powles ◽  
F. Auger ◽  
G. J. FitzGerald
Keyword(s):  
Early Life ◽  
Early Life History ◽  
Clupea Harengus ◽  
Winter Flounder ◽  
Nearshore Zone ◽  
Pseudopleuronectes Americanus ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Clupea Harengus Harengus ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Spawning Biomass

Composition of ichthyoplankton in the nearshore zone (0–6 km from shore) of the St. Lawrence estuary showed important differences from that farther offshore. In particular, larvae of herring (Clupea harengus harengus), winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus), and smooth flounder (Liopsetta putnami) made up a greater proportion of the ichthyoplankton than in published surveys farther offshore. Peak catches of larval herring were 1–2 orders of magnitude higher than in offshore waters. Winter flounder and smooth flounder larvae were significantly more abundant [Formula: see text] from shore than 1–6 km offshore; significant abundance gradients were not found for other species. Nearshore areas have received considerably less effort than offshore areas in earlier studies, and we suggest that more intensive studies in the nearshore zone, at least for those species mentioned, would be of importance for elucidating early life history processes and for estimating spawning biomass based on ichthyoplankton surveys.

Séparation des populations de hareng de l'Atlantique (Clupea harengus harengus) de l'estuaire du Saint-Laurent et de la péninsule gaspésienne

1980 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Côté ◽  
P. Lamoureux ◽  
J. Boulva ◽  
G. Lacroix
Keyword(s):  
Clupea Harengus ◽  
Atlantic Herring ◽  
Morphometric Characteristics ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Clupea Harengus Harengus ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Gaspe Peninsula ◽  
Gaspé Peninsula

Examination of morphometric and meristic characteristics of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus harengus) caught during spawning along the Gaspé coast and the St. Lawrence Estuary lead to the conclusion of the existence of at least three herring populations in that area. The first one occurs in the St. Lawrence Estuary, spawns in the spring and is characterized by smaller length-at-age values than the two other populations which are comprised respectively of spring-spawners and autumn-spawners that are fished off the Gaspé peninsula.Key words: Atlantic herring, St. Lawrence Estuary, Gaspé peninsula, morphometric characteristics, meristic characteristics

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