Goal: To evaluate the importance of jellyfish as predators of zooplankton in Prince William Sound.
Prince William Sound, Alaska was the site of an extensive oil spill in March 1989. Many of the vertebrate populations (fishes, birds, mammals) that were seriously damaged by the oil spill have still not recovered.
We examined whether the lack of recovery of zooplanktivorous fishes, such as herring, was due to competition for food with jellyfish, which have large populations in the sound. We determined the feeding rates of jellyfish on zooplankton and compared this with zooplankton standing stocks to estimate if jellyfish predation could have reduced the zooplankton that would otherwise be available to fishes. To see the abstract, click here.
This project received funding from the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council.