Predators of northern shrimp, Pandalus borealis (Pandalidae), throughout the North Atlantic

Abstract

A compendium of northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) predators was assembled, thereby consolidating decades of research that described trophic interactions among relevant marine species in the North Atlantic. The importance of shrimp as prey and the impacts of predation on shrimp populations were gleaned, where possible, from the literature. The review identified 26 species that prey on shrimp within North Atlantic ecosystems. The results clarified the role of shrimp as prey within these ecosystems, confirming that they provide an abundant source of food for marine fish, mammals and invertebrates throughout the North Atlantic. The evidence supported the likelihood of predation mortality as one of the key factors regulating shrimp population dynamics. However, lacking representative estimates of shrimp consumption by predators, the net effect on predation mortality within populations was unquantifiable.

Keywords:

• North Atlantic ecosystems
• northern shrimp
• Pandalus borealis
• predators
• trophic interactions

Acknowledgments

Thanks go to Mr Earl Dawe for invaluable dialogue and advice throughout the project. Dr James Carscadden, Mr David Orr, Dr Bjarte Bogstad and an anonymous referee provided many constructive suggestions that improved the manuscript. Mr Orr also assisted in producing the study area map.

Notes

Published in collaboration with the University of Bergen and the Institute of Marine Research, Norway, and the Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Editorial responsibility: Padmini Dalpadado