Vol. 53 - Alaska Resources Library and Information Services

Distribution and Abundance of Pandalus stenolepis:
Larvae of P. stenolepis
were infrequently caught on all cruises from 1976 to 1981.
Figure
6.17 shows abundance and distribution of P. stenolepis larvae from all
cruises, all months combined. Their distribution overlaps both P.
borealis and P. tridens larvae with highest densities located near
Unimak Pass. Mean densities in 1981 ranged from 290-480 larvae/100 m²
in strata 2 and 3 during summer months.
Larvae were completely absent
from the northwestern section of the St. George Basin in accord with
northern limits of adult ranges at Unalaska Island (Butler 1980).
Occurrence of larvae in the lower St. George Basin may indicate the
extent of larval drift in currents coming north through Unimak Pass,
although it would not account for the isolated locations near the
Pribilof Islands or on the middle shelf domain where P. stenolepis
larvae were taken.
The presence of these larvae may indicate that the
range of P. stenolepis extends further north than previously thought.
The greatest density of P. stenolepis larvae for all years and all
strata, 1284+1129 larvae/100 m 2 , was found during NOAA 1977 in stratum
12 at Unimak Pass. P. stenolepis larvae were not caught with enough
regularity to do either a comparison of density by stratum, a crossshelf
comparison, or a vertical depth distribution analysis. No P.
stenolepis larvae were taken during the NOAA '76 cruise.
Their percent
frequency of occurrence among all stations sampled ranged from a low of
2% in 1980 to a high of 17% in 1977.
Summary of Pandalus spp. Distribution and Abundance:
1) Larvae of the pandalids apparently hatch in early April.
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