A comparison of meiofauna available as fish food on Sturgeon and Roberts Banks, Fraser River estuary, British Columbia / by B.A. Bravender, C.D. Levings and T.J. Brown.: Fs97-6/1904E-PDF

"During 1980-81 the communities of fish present at three different sites on the Fraser River estuary were sampled each month using a beach seine. In conjunction with this work, in order to assess the food available to the fish community in each area, the meiofauna and epifauna were also sampled with core samplers and an epibenthic sled. Analysis of the core samples showed the mean densities of total meiofauna to be the greatest at Iona Island (1,937 ± 170 10 cm⁻²) followed by Roberts Bank (1,036 ± 118 10 cm⁻²) and Steveston (335 ± 41 10 cm⁻²). Nematodes formed the highest percentage of the population at all three sites - Iona Island (19.5-78.0%), Steveston (5.4-73.3%) and Roberts Bank (11.4-94.6%). The results of the sled sampling indicated the total mean epifaunal densities were highest at Roberts Bank (51,656 ± 10,310 m⁻²) second greatest at Steveston (16,622 ± 6,325 m⁻²) and lowest at Iona Island (13,324± 2,520 m⁻²). Numerically, copepod nauplii comprised the most of the population at Iona Island (4.9-80.7%) and Steveston (3.0-94.6%) while the harpacticoid copepods were dominant at Roberts Bank (9.6-84.3%). Based on the potential food available, Roberts Bank was the most suitable area for the rearing of juvenile salmonids"--Abstract, page iv.

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