Research Document - 2014/080

Similarity analyses applied to the larvae fish abundances collected in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence between 1983 and 2012

By François Grégoire, Linda Girard and Jean-Louis Beaulieu

Abstract

In this study, fish larvae communities sampled in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence between 1983 and 2012 were described using similarity analyses. Most of the communities presented significant interannual differences associated with the presence of a few species only. The Atlantic Mackerel (Scomber scombrus L.), redfish (Sebastes spp.), and Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) characterized the communities of the 1983–1992 period. Subsequently and until 2010, these species were replaced by sandlance (Ammodytes spp.), righteye flounders (Pleuronectidae spp.), and radiated shanny (Ulvaria subbifurcata). Finally, communities in 2011 and 2012 were particularly characterized by American Plaice (Hippoglossoides platessoides) and sandlance. These interannual differences in the larval composition could be attributed to some factors that had an impact on the larvae abundance and/or distribution. It is suggested to pursue this study using analytical techniques that would identify these factors and describe their impacts on the larval communities of the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence.

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