Zooplankton as food resources for larval fish

Summary

Zooplankton serve as a vital food resource for the survival of newly hatched fish. The abundance and availability of this food resource from limnetic and littoral habitats of Lake Itasca, Minnesota was examined and its impact on larval fish was evaluated. Limnetic zooplankton are less abundant and, on the average, smaller in size than littoral animals. Thus, the most plentiful food supply for larval fish is in the littoral zone. However, the littoral habitat is an area of intense predation upon young fish. Larval fish must adapt strategies that balance obtaining adequate energy while escaping predation from larger fish.