Timing (weeks)

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

L m

ale

(m

m)

16.5

17.0

17.5

18.0

18.5

Commercial

Survey

0201

00

03

99

98

98 9900

01

02

-5 0 5(weeks)

Earlier Later

1998

2001 2002

1999 2000

2003

Anomalies of Timing for the Maximum Intensity

andMale Shrimp Carapace Length

Area 6

Early blooms linked with bigger shrimp

Direct evidence was found consistent with theexistence of a trophic link between recruitment of the haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) on the eastern continental shelf of Nova Scotia and the local dynamics of the spring bloom of phytoplankton. Bloom dynamics are also linked with the size of shrimp on NW Atlantic.

Conclusions

Using remotely-sensed data on ocean colour, it ispossible to describe the seasonal evolution of the spring bloom of phytoplankton on synoptic scales with high resolution in time and space.

This work represents a new direction for the applicationof remotely-sensed data on ocean colour and underlines the importance of maintaining a continuous, internally-consistent stream of such data.