FOOD AVAILABILITY FOR SPRAT LARVAE IN THE IRISH SEA

The distribution of larvae of sprat (Sprattus sprattus) is described in relation to feeding conditions in the Irish Sea. Larvae were most abundant towards the coastal margins. Relatively few were taken in the mixed water of the central Irish Sea. Preferred food organisms were also more abundant in coastal regions. Both sprat eggs and larvae, and microplankton, were more dispersed down the water column when it was fully mixed than when stratified. Characterization of food availability for larvae, as peak (modal) abundance down the water-column, is shown to be related to the degree of stratification.