Skip to content

Source-Sink Dynamics and Habitat Modeling of Northern Sand Lance on Stellwagen Bank and Nantucket Shoals

Principal Investigator

Joel Llopiz, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Co-Principal Investigators

Rubao Ji,  Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Martha Hauff, Stonehill College

Hannes Baumann, University of Connecticut

Summary

This team of biologists seeks to address the lack of knowledge on the ecological role of the northern sand lance in the Gulf of Maine. Ecological hotspots off Massachusetts’s shores such as the Nantucket Shoals region and Stellwagen Bank are critical foraging grounds for such iconic marine species such as humpback whales, bluefin tuna, and cod, and the sand lance is one reason these hotspots exist. As management efforts are increasingly directed towards entire ecosystems rather than single species, focused research on the more influential components of these ecosystems, such as sand lance, can provide a major contribution.

Updates/Reports

Publications

Project Information

Started: February 2018
Completed:
Funded under: Biennial Request for Proposals

Relevant Links

Fisheries Oceanography and Larval Fish Ecology Lab at WHOI

Evolutionary Fish Ecology Lab at UConn

 

Coastal Impacts newsletter story

The Little Fish with a Big Impact