Mortality, Growth, and Transport of Larval Atlantic Herring Clupea harengus in Maine Coastal Waters

Abstract

Abstract Microstructural growth increments in otoliths of autumn-spawned, larval Atlantic herring from the Sheepscot River estuary of western Maine and Sullivan Harbor of eastern Maine provided estimates of mortality, growth, or transport times (or combinations of these) for 19 cohorts in 1980–1982. Mortality within seven cohorts averaged 2%/d (range, 0.7–3.1%/d). Growth (12 cohorts) averaged 0.199 mm/d (0.123–0.270). Transport times of larvae hatched on the spawning ground of eastern Maine and captured in the harbor and estuary (8 cohorts) averaged 16.5 d (5–35 d). Estimates of mortalities agreed (P > 0.05) with those from multicohorts obtained in the 1960s and 1970s (0.4–3.2%/d). Among the cohorts, extremes of larval growth differed significantly (P 0.05) was noted between larvae of cohorts spawned relatively early and those of a cohort spawned late. Larval mortality and growth appeared...