Vertical distribution and diel migration of Crangon septemspinosa Say, 1818 (Decapoda, Caridea) on Georges Bank, northwest Atlantic

Abstract

We sampled for vertical distribution and possible diel vertical migration (DVM) of Crangon septemspinosa Say, 1818 on and around Georges Bank, Northwest Atlantic, between 1995 and 1999. Both juveniles and adults were found to undergo DVM, being distributed within the lower water column (and perhaps on or in the bottom) during the day, and distributed throughout the water column at night, with higher abundances seen in all depth strata at night. Differences in vertical distribution were also found based on location and chlorophyll concentration for juveniles, but no effects were seen of season, salinity, temperature, lunar periodicity, year, or copepod prey for either juveniles or adults. Variation in vertical distribution and DVM were only moderately well explained (50% of the total variance) by the above factors, suggesting that some other factor(s) not measured by us (e.g., predation) were potentially also controlling the vertical distribution and diel migration of C. septemspinosa on Georges Bank.