TY - JOUR

T1 - Evaluation of light traps for sampling lobster larvae in the German Bight, North Sea

AU - Leiva, Laura

AU - Gimenez Noya, Luis

AU - Boersma, Maarten

PY - 2024/4/12

Y1 - 2024/4/12

N2 - Biological monitoring of planktonic animals is greatly dependent on the deployment of traps. A variety of specialized traps have been designed for surface plankton and vertebrates. However, certain groups, such as planktonic larvae of benthic marine invertebrates remain underrepresented in sampling efforts. Catching them has proven to be more challenging because of their size, swimming ability, location, and abundance. In the present study a successful light trap for sampling American lobster larvae in New Brunswick, Canada, is evaluated on the island of Helgoland (German Bight, North Sea). Our results showed the traps were successful in catching larvae in laboratory experiments but were unable to catch European lobster larvae in the field. Traps deployed in the field were successful in capturing other benthic and pelagic zooplankton predominantly consisting of crustaceans from the orders: Cumacea, Amphipoda, Mysida and Isopoda. The low density of lobster larvae, the island's topography, and their unique photactic response possibly limited the success rate of the light traps. Future research is needed to construct a specialized trap to sample Helgoland's lobster larvae and provide information on the current larval fitness and population numbers.

AB - Biological monitoring of planktonic animals is greatly dependent on the deployment of traps. A variety of specialized traps have been designed for surface plankton and vertebrates. However, certain groups, such as planktonic larvae of benthic marine invertebrates remain underrepresented in sampling efforts. Catching them has proven to be more challenging because of their size, swimming ability, location, and abundance. In the present study a successful light trap for sampling American lobster larvae in New Brunswick, Canada, is evaluated on the island of Helgoland (German Bight, North Sea). Our results showed the traps were successful in catching larvae in laboratory experiments but were unable to catch European lobster larvae in the field. Traps deployed in the field were successful in capturing other benthic and pelagic zooplankton predominantly consisting of crustaceans from the orders: Cumacea, Amphipoda, Mysida and Isopoda. The low density of lobster larvae, the island's topography, and their unique photactic response possibly limited the success rate of the light traps. Future research is needed to construct a specialized trap to sample Helgoland's lobster larvae and provide information on the current larval fitness and population numbers.

U2 - 10.1016/j.seares.2024.102497

DO - 10.1016/j.seares.2024.102497

M3 - Article

VL - 199

JO - Journal of Sea Research

JF - Journal of Sea Research

SN - 1385-1101

M1 - 102497

ER -