Origin and Dispersion of Larval Herring (Clupea harengus) in Coastal Waters of Eastern Maine and Southwestern New Brunswick

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Abstract
Repetitive surveys of larval herring (Clupea harengus) were undertaken in coastal waters between Mt. Desert, Maine and Saint John, New Brunswick to define the location, timing, and extent of spawning and the distribution of larvae. Three surveys during September and October 1986 showed two separate areas of larval dispersal. The easternmost stations contained low densities of large larvae which were assumed to be part of the annually occurring larval aggregation off Nova Scotia. High densities of small larvae west of Grand Manan indicated that spawning in this area was confined to a small area southwest of Grand Manan and along the eastern Maine coast. This unique larval distribution confirms the autonomous nature of the eastern Maine–Grand Manan spawning group. Back calculation indicated hatching times between late July and the middle of October, but most of the larvae taken in the survey hatched in August and September. The larvae west of Grand Manan occurred within a well mixed water mass containing a characteristic neritic zooplankton community. Some larval herring remained near the spawning ground over a 2-mo period, while others dispersed west along the coast.