Abstract
Variations in the occurrence of Oikopleura spp. were strongly linked to the wind field and ensuing water temperatures in an inshore region of eastern Newfoundland during June–August of 1979 and 1981–83. Oikopleura foul inshore fishing gear with their discarded houses ("slub") and fluctuate in abundance from day to day as a function of wind-driven upwelling. Densities of Oikopleura in cold upwelling water during four years ranged between 20 and 800/m3. Oikopleura densities < 1/m3 occurred when upwelling ceased and warmer water occupied the inshore region. A simple model incorporating a daily averaged wind vector, Julian day, and growing degree-day explained 62% of the daily variation in Oikopleura abundance in 1979. The model yielded density estimates that were significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with observed densities in each of the other three years. We provide evidence that net fouling by Oikopleura in the inshore and maximum Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) catch is coincident and suggest that an annual hindcast index of slub intensity may help determine the impact of slub conditions on the inshore fishery.
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