Zooplankton Fauna of Killary Harbour: the Seasonal Cycle of Abundance

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Abstract
Killary Harbour is a fjord-like inlet on the west coast of Ireland and is an important site for suspended culture of mussels. As part of a study of the production ecology of the inlet, the zooplankton fauna was sampled quantitatively at two week intervals, between February 1981 and January 1982 using nets with mesh apertures of 90 and 335 μm. The dominant holozooplankton species of Killary Harbour are typical of inshore or neritic waters but there are also representatives of estuarine and oceanic faunas. Inflow of water into the bay below the surface layer of low salinity apparently maintains conditions suitable for neritic species and accounts for similarities between the zooplankton faunas inside and outside the bay. Large populations of estuarine species presumably do not develop because of the variability of freshwater discharge. During September 1981 there was evidence of an intrusion of oceanic water into the bay.

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