Food and Feeding of Larval Redfish in the Gulf of Maine

Abstract

The availability of suitable food is one of the important factors influencing the survival of larval fish. Knowledge of their food habits is important if we are to understand their role in the economy of the sea. Recent work by Einarsson (1960) and Bainbridge (1964) on the food of larval redfish (Sebastes marinus), Kelly and Barker (1961) on the vertical distribution of redfish larvae (S. marinus) and Bainbridge and Cooper (1971) on Sebastes populations, has contributed considerably to our knowledge of the early life history of this species. Magnusson et al. (1965), working in the Irminger Sea, found a good correlation between the standing stock of Zooplankton and the number of redfish larvae. Little, however, is known of the feeding niche occupied by larval redfish in the plankton community in the Gulf of Maine.