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Distributional responses to small-scale habitat variability by early juvenile silver hake, Merluccius bilinearis

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Abstract

Early juvenile (0-year) silver hake, Merluccius bilinearis, occurred at higher densities on bottoms with greater amphipod tube cover at a 55 m deep site in the Middle Atlantic Bight. The size range of individuals at this site was 1.5–5 cm total length. Additional observations at other sites showed that 0-year silver hake only occurred on silt-sand bottom with amphipod tubes at bottom water temperatures of 8.7–11.4 °C. This distribution pattern could be the result of either selective settlement into appropriate habitats or differential predation with higher survivorship in more complex habitats. We posit that 0-year silver hake occur in patches of dense amphipod tube cover to avoid visual predators and co-occur with preferred prey (i.e., amphipods and shrimps).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. NOAA's National Undersea Research Center, The University of Connecticut at Avery Point, Groton, CT, 06340, U.S.A

    Peter J. Auster

  2. Sea Education Association, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, U.S.A

    Richard J. Malatesta

  3. Marine Sciences Institute, The University of Connecticut at Avery Point, Groton, CT, 06340, U.S.A

    Carol Lee S. Donaldson

Authors
  1. Peter J. Auster
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  2. Richard J. Malatesta
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  3. Carol Lee S. Donaldson
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Auster, P.J., Malatesta, R.J. & Donaldson, C.L.S. Distributional responses to small-scale habitat variability by early juvenile silver hake, Merluccius bilinearis. Environmental Biology of Fishes 50, 195–200 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007305628035

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