Comparison of inshore zooplankton and ichthyoplankton populations of the Gulf of Maine

Abstract

Zooplankton and ichthyoplankton were sampled in 2 hydrographically different areas on the US Maine coast: Sullivan Harbor in eastern Maine and the Damariscotta estuary in western Maine. Sampling was conducted from late winter to early summer in each area in 1979 and 1980. Phytoplank- ton chlorophyll concentrations were determined for each area in 1979. Phytoplankton and zooplankton blooms appeared to be coupled and differed in timing between areas in 1979. Timing of peak zooplankton abundances was not appreciably different between areas in 1980, but was earlier in the season than in the previous year. Times of maximum catch rates of dominant larval fish species were closely coupled to plankton dynamics.