Larval Transport and Recruitment of Pacific Hake Merluccius productus

The advection of Merluccius productus larvae offshore appears to be a significant factor in establishing recruitment levels. Pacific hake spawn mostly in January and February over the continental slope in the area of study. The offshore distribution of larvae is positively correlated to offshore Ekman transport, while year class strength and offshore Ekman transport a t the time of spawning are negatively correlated. Since the juvenile nursery is inshore over the continental shelf, larvae advected seaward of the continental shelf probably have poor survival as juveniles. Larval survival also appears to be poor in cold years of strong offshore transport. A multiple regression model accounts for 72 % of the variance in an index of year class strength.