Table 1.
Sample size, descriptive characteristics and mean δ13C and δ15N values for fin whale potential prey collected between 1999 and 2005 in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence and analysed for stable isotope (SI) or fatty acid (FA) analyses.
| Potential prey | Sampling region | Ntot | Years | Length (cm) | Wet weight (g) | δ13C ± SD (‰) | δ15N ± SD (‰) | C:N ratio | % lipid | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | ||||||||||
| Sand lance (Ammodytes spp.) | Est | SI | 21 | – | – | 15 | – | – | 6 | – | 12.1 ± 4.1 | 5.4 ± 6.9 | −18.7 ± 0.5 | 10.8 ± 0.3 | 3.16 ± 0.05 | 2.9 ± 1.7 |
| FA | 18 | – | – | 6 | 6 | 6 | – | – | ||||||||
| Gulf | SI | 6 | – | – | 5 | – | – | 1 | – | 12.7 ± 2.3 | 6.2 ± 3.0 | −18.8 ± 0.5 | 10.9 ± 0.4 | 3.17 ± 0.02 | 3.7 ± 1.8 | |
| FA | 25 | – | 20 | 5 | – | – | – | – | ||||||||
| Copepods (Calanus spp.) | Est | SI | 42 | – | – | 32 | 10 | – | – | – | – | 0.12 ± 0.05 | −18.4 ± 0.9 | 9.3 ± 0.4 | 3.25 ± 0.13 | 16.5 ± 3.6 |
| FA | 10 | – | – | 10 | – | – | – | – | ||||||||
| Herring (Clupea harengus) | Est | SI | 40 | – | – | 30 | – | 10 | – | – | 23.1 ± 5.5 | 122.4 ± 69.8 | −17.9 ± 0.9 | 12.7 ± 0.6 | 3.12 ± 0.06 | 7.1 ± 3.5 |
| FA | 96 | – | 15 | 55 | 11 | 15 | – | – | ||||||||
| Gulf | SI | 10 | – | – | – | – | 8 | 2 | – | 9.5 ± 3.3 | 6.3 ± 6.1 | −19.6 ± 0.3 | 12.2 ± 0.5 | 3.22 ± 0.08 | – | |
| FA | – | – | – | – | – | – | - | – | ||||||||
| Capelin (Mallotus villosus) | Est | SI | 100 | – | – | – | – | 56 | 4 | 40 | 12.8 ± 2.2 | 14.4 ± 7.0 | −18.7 ± 0.3 | 12.4 ± 0.4 | 3.16 ± 0.03 | 2.8 ± 3.0 |
| FA | 43 | – | 10 | 33 | – | – | – | – | ||||||||
| Gulf | SI | 10 | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | 9 | 10.8 ± 0.7 | 5.3 ± 1.3 | −19.5 ± 0.2 | 12.1 ± 0.4 | 3.14 ± 0.04 | – | |
| FA | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||||||
| Northern Krill (Meganyctiphanes norvegica) | Est | SI | 110 | – | – | 54 | 18 | 35 | 3 | – | – | 0.83 ± 1.38 | −19.5 ± 0.5 | 10.7 ± 0.4 | 3.2 ± 0.05 | 3.2 ± 1.0 |
| FA | 28 | 10 | – | 10 | 2 | 6 | – | – | ||||||||
| Amphipods (Themisto spp.) | Est | SI | 34 | – | – | 0 | 13 | 18 | 3 | – | – | 0.94 ± 0.37 | −19.2 ± 0.4 | 11.9 ± 0.4 | 3.38 ± 0.1 | 4.2 ± 1.5 |
| FA | 14 | – | – | 7 | 3 | 4 | – | – | ||||||||
| Arctic krill (Thysanoessa spp.) | Est | SI | 28 | – | – | 8 | – | 15 | 5 | – | – | 1.57 ± 2.81 | −18.7 ± 0.3 | 9.3 ± 0.6 | 3.23 ± 0.08 | 6.5 ± 0.8 |
| FA | 5 | – | – | 5 | – | - | – | – | ||||||||
Central tendency is expressed as the mean (± SD). Isotopic values are uncorrected for isotopic discrimination, but are corrected for lipid extraction.