Vertical Distribution of Eggs in the March 1997 Scotian Shelf Water Intrusion

John Green and Antonie Chute

On the March 1997 Broad-Scale survey high concentrations of gadid eggs were observed along the southeastern side of Georges Bank. The eggs appeared to be associated with a cold fresh surface intrusion from the Scotian Shelf which extended to 30m depth. Analysis of vertically stratified MOC1 samples from four stations (stations 21-24) in the intrusion indicated that eggs were abundant throughout the water column and not only associated with the surface intrusion feature.

A storm event on April 1 may have removed much of the surface layer along the southern flank of the Bank. The implication of the distribution of eggs throughout the water column is that removal of the surface layer from the Bank by a storm likely would not have removed all of the these eggs from the Bank. However, a process cruise in early April did not find larval concentrations that might have been expected from the observed egg distribution.