Hydrographic circulation and the dispersal of yolk-sac herring (Clupea harengus) larvae in the Blackwater Estuary

Abstract

Each spring, a localized stock of herring (Clupea harengus, Teleostei, Clupeidae) spawn in the Blackwater Estuary (Essex, UK). The eggs are laid on a gravel bank (Eagle Bank) at the mouth of the estuary. Incubation takes three to four weeks and, after hatching, the larvae can be caught in the area for several months. In this paper, results are presented from a finite-element circulation model used to simulate tidal and wind driven flow fields for the region. A particle tracking model was then used to simulate the dispersal of young herring larvae, up to first feeding, hatching from the Eagle Bank. The simulations predicted that, over a period of 12 d, around 63% of particles would be retained in the area of the Eagle Bank at high water whilst 22% of particles would be further south towards the Buxey Sands. Over the same time, ∼7% of the particles released would be found in the River Blackwater itself. Imposing a steady state wind of 10 m s−1 from the south-west (the dominant wind direction during spring in this area) or north-east had the effect of moving the majority of particles into the river or offshore to the south respectively.