Variations in larval walleye pollock feeding and condition: a synthesis

There was a strong association among concentrations of microzooplankton prey sampled from the walleye pollock, Theragra chalcogramma , larval habitat, gut contents of larvae, and their nutritional condition. Subsequently, hypothesized survival potentials linked to food availability were validated by independently determined mortality rates. We present evidence that a significant number of walleye pollock larvae were starving in 1991 but that fewer were starving in 1992. At some stations where prey levels were anomalously low in 1991, up to 40% of the larvae were in poor condition. There appears to be a 2-week period after first feeding when walleye pollock are vulnerable to starvation.