Abundance and distribution of larval herring, Clupea harengus (Actinopterygii: Clupeiformes: Clupeidae) in the Pomeranian Bay, Baltic Sea as an indicator of spawning sites

Abstract

Background. The Pomeranian Bay is one of the most important spawning areas of herring, Clupea harengus Linnaeus, 1758, at the Polish coast. The distribution of spawning grounds in the region has only been discussed in one paper, published two decades ago. The identification of the exact locations of the spawning grounds in the bay is of key importance, among others for the evaluation of possible consequences of construction projects in coastal areas, such as that of the gas terminal in Świnoujście. Materials and methods. Herring larvae (5–29.1 mm standard length, SL) were collected between March and July at six (1992–1996, 1998) and 10 (2007–2011) stations located in the Pomeranian Bay, Baltic Sea, by means of BONGO-nets with 505 µm mesh. The abundance of herring larvae at each of the stations (related to 100 m3) was measured for specimens smaller than 10 mm SL. Such abundances were used as indicators of spawning site locations. Results. The presence of spring-spawned herring larvae

Keywords

• fish larvae
• spring spawning herring
• early life h