The influence of light environment on depth of visual feeding by larvae and fry of Coregonus pollan (Thompson) in Lough Neagh

Abstract

The depth limits for visual feeding by pollan larvae and fry, Coregonus pollan, were determined in Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland, by combining laboratory estimates of the minimum light threshold for feeding activity with field measurements of spectral, diurnal and seasonal changes in light penetration. Although feeding thresholds were lowest in the blue light (400–490 nm), the rapid attenuation of this region in the lake meant that the depth limits of feeding in situ were determined by response to the green region (490–595 nm). Effects of changes in irradiance and light penetration on the depth of feeding are considered during a seasonal study. Increased sensitivity, as the juvenile stages develop, may be offset by reduced light penetration due to algal growth. Over an annual period the maximum feeding depth for pollan varied between 2.6 and 4.1 m. In the juvenile stages of two other predatory species from the lake, perch, Perca fluviatilis, and pike, Esox lucius, the corresponding ranges were 1.1–1.9 m and 2.7–4.6 m respectively.