Springtime in New York brings the return of migratory birds and fishes, hibernating reptiles and amphibians, and if you know where to look, massive swarms of the mysid shrimp, Neomysis americana. These mysids provide great opportunities for hungry marine life and thrifty aquarists. After a long cold winter it’s not easy to stay positive about life in a temperate climate like New York. But what we lack in fair weather and coral reefs, we make up for in seasonal abundance. As days lengthen, providing more sunlight to our surface waters, massive plankton blooms occur along the coast. They are fueled by a combination of sunlight and nutrients which are made available by the winter breakdown of the thermocline, allowing deep nutrient-rich water to come to the surface. It usually begins in February with a diatom bloom that lasts a few weeks and colors our bays a greenish-brown. As the diatoms are nearing peak density, copepod populations begin to increase, and for a period of about two weeks around the end of February and beginning of March, they dominate the plankton community and can be found in staggering abundance. A combination of ecological factors ensures that these heydays are short-lived. Diatoms deplete nutrients necessary for productivity, then copepods deplete diatoms; but just as the copepod bloom occurred in response to the presence of diatoms, other organisms time their lifecycles and migrations to take advantage of the copepods. Near the end of the copepod bloom, we start to see massive numbers of moon jelly ephyrae and medusae from hydrozoans. This is when the mysids usually appear. Although at least six species belonging to the family Mysidae (including one invasive from Europe) can be found in NY, the most abundant, by far is Neomysis americana. This is the species that swarms in shallow bays and estuaries all along the northeastern US in early spring. Numerous migratory species, particularly members of the herring family, time their return to take advantage of these swarms. Not surprisingly, their predators: osprey, cormorants, bluefish, and striped bass follow close behind. As an aquaculturist, I am a pretty big consumer of frozen mysids, so it’s hard to resist taking advantage of these blooms. It’s a great excuse to spend some time outside, on the water, and it saves me a few dollars. It’s also comforting to know exactly where they are from and to have complete control over their handling. … More:
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