Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

CS14 Fish and Fisheries: Environmental Quality and Ecology

Date: Thursday, February 15, 2001, Time: 2:15:00 PM

Location: Sandia/Santa Ana

Aksnes, D, L, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway, dag.aksnes@ifm.uib.no

Nejstgaard, J, C, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway, jens.nejstgaard@ifm.uib.no

IS FISH OR JELLIES A QUESTION OF VISIBILITY?

Light is an important limiting factor for the visual foraging in fishes. The light regime may potentially affect the composition between visual and tactile predators. In a pilot study Eiane et al. (1999, Limnol. Oceanogr. 44(5):1352-1357) suggested that contrasting light climate in two similar sized fjords could explain the contrasting abundance of mesopelagic fish, jellyfish, and mesozooplankton observed. Eiane et al. hypothesized that the visibility regime has a decisive role in structuring the pelagic food webs of the fjords. In order to test this hypothesis, we present results on relationships between mesopelagic fish, gelatinous and other zooplankton, and optical properties from eight west Norwegian fjords sampled at two occasions, April 1999 and January 2000.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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