Can Georges Bank larval cod survive on a calanoid diet?

A simple conceptual model is developed for larval fish feeding on stage-structured prey populations, in an Eulerian framework. The model combines simplified contemporary models of larval fish trophodynamics, zooplankton population dynamics, and hydrodynamic turbulence. The Eulerian view allows instructive maps of larval feeding and growth rates for individual prey species, alone or in combination. Decadally averaged MARMAP surveys of Calanus finmarchicus and Pseudocalanus spp. are analyzed for the March–April period. Quasi-static population dynamics are used to infer the abundance of the smallest stages from adult female abundance. Computed growth rates show that Calanus alone is insufficient to support the smallest cod larvae (4 and 6 mm), but provides good growth (⩾10%/day) for large larvae (10, 12 mm). Pseudocalanus alone provides generally good growth for all larvae but is mismatched spatially with observed cod spawning and subsequent larval advection. Both species together provide good growth, matched spatially with larval cod, for 6 mm and larger larvae. A dietary supplement beyond these two species is needed for the smallest larvae. The procedure provides a general method for mapping observations of zooplankton abundance, distribution and reproductive status, and their relevance to larval fish survival, when the smallest stages are not observable.