Influence of Environmental Variation and Spawning Stock Levels on Recruitment of Ocean Shrimp (Pandalus Jordani)

The influence of environmental factors on recruitment variability in ocean shrimp (Pandalus jordani Rathbun) from 1967 to 1988 was investigated using correlation and multiple regression. Low sea levels during larval release in April, indicative of a strong spring transition in coastal currents, were strongly correlated with increased recruitment. Interannual changes in catch distribution showed an interaction between shrimp abundance and distribution, with reduced catches accompanying a northerly catch distribution. A linear model incorporating April sea level explained 58% of the variation in log recruitment and also correctly indicated a serious year class failure in 1989. An index of spawning stock was compared with the residuals from the linear model based on April sea level, but no stock–recruitment relationship was found.