Variation in the hatching length of spring-spawned herring larvae ( Clupea harengus L.) on Ballantrae Bank in the Firth of Clyde

Abstract

Variations in the length at hatching of spring-spawned herring larvae are examined. The larvae were caught during a series of intensive plankton surveys in 1987 on Ballantrae Bank in the Firth of Clyde. The results demonstrate that in wild herring, multi-layered egg masses can give rise to larvae with wide-ranging hatching lengths. The results suggest that assumptions regarding fixed hatching length, age-length relationships, and growth rates may not hold for herring larvae originating from multi-layered egg masses.