Diel vertical migration and seasonal timing of the larvae of three sympatric cancrid crabs,Cancer spp., in Southeastern Alaska

Diel vertical migration (DVM) and seasonal timing of three sympatricCancer spp. larvae were investigated in southeastern Alaska. Diel sampling was conducted at a station in Icy Strait at 0400, 0700, 1000, 1300 h in the first day, and 1300, 1600, 1900, and 2200 h in the second day from June to September 2001. Larvae were collected with Bongo nets (333 and 505 μm mesh) towed vertically from 20 m depth to the surface. During flood tides surface temperature increased slightly and salinity decreased; the reverse occurred during ebb tides. Zooplankton biomasses were higher in the early morning and evening than during the midday. A total of 4,482 larvae were examined for the study.Cancer oregonensis larvae were most abundant (4,238), followed byC. magister (205) andC. productus (39). Larval density peaked in June while no larvae were found in September.C. magister larvae had a crepuscular migration; larval abundance peaked in early morning and evening.C. oregonensis larvae comprised 94.6% of allCancer spp. larvae collected and had a strong DVM in June. Earlier zoeal stages ofC. oregonensis were relatively more abundant during midday, while later stages were more abundant at night. In July, later larval stages ofC. oregonensis were distributed at the surface all day with a peak at 2200 h. Larvae ofC. productus first occurred in July and peaked in August.C. productus had DVM but many were at the surface diurnally.C. magister andC. oregonensis larvae co-occurred seasonally as they do in the lower latitudes, e.g., Washington and British Columbia; however,C. productus appeared approximately 2 mo later thanC. magister andC. oregonensis in southeastern Alaska.