U.S. GLOBEC: Laboratory and Field Studies of Impacts of Invertebrate Predators on Fish Eggs and Larvae on Georges Bank

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9632395 SULLIVAN As part of the U.S. GLOBEC Northwest Atlantic Field Studies, Phase 2 program this project will conduct laboratory and field studies of impacts of invertebrate predators on fish eggs and larvae on Georges Bank. Predation-related mortality is one loss term affecting populations of the target species of fishes and copepods on Georges Bank. This project will utilize mesocosm experiments to determine prey selection and feeding rates of the planktonic hydroid, Clytia gracilis, at times the most abundant predator in this region, and the ctenophore, Pleurobrachia pileus, the only invertebrate confirmed to be feeding on eggs and larvae of cod. The field component of this project will provide abundance data on hydroids and other invertebrate predators and their prey. These laboratory and field results will be combined to estimate predation- related mortality in the context of physical mechanisms that act to concentrate or disperse plankton. ***