Shrimp (Pandalus borealis) growth and timing of the spring phytoplankton bloom on the Newfoundland-Labrador Shelf

We examined latitudinal and temporal changes in the availability of food for young shrimp (Pandalus borealis) on the Newfoundland-Labrador Shelf, using a suite of quantitative characteristics of the spring phytoplankton bloom determined from satellite ocean colour data, including bloom initiation time, maximum chlorophyll concentration, timing of the maximum, and bloom duration. We found significant correlations between bloom intensity, timing, and the size of young shrimp. The results are discussed in relation to the observation that, since the early 1990s, carapace lengths of shrimp have been decreasing in many Northwest Atlantic stocks.