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Sciences Fueling the Ocean Calanus finmarchicus research is leading to better understanding of how the copepods power the Gulf of Maine ecosystem

Fueling the Ocean

Calanus finmarchicus research is leading to better understanding of how the copepods power the Gulf of Maine ecosystem

by Margaret Nagle | Art/Photography by Peter Stetson

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Photo by Phoebe Jekielek

Finmarchicus Facts

C. finmarchicus copepods:

dominate the zooplankton community in the Gulf of Maine.
are one-eyed crustaceans that grow about 3 millimeters long.
devour the spring blooms in the Gulf of Maine.
are omnivores, eating diatoms and phytoplankton, and preying on smaller zooplankton.
have tremendous reproduction capacity, with each female releasing 3,000 or more fertilized eggs into the water column.
have a complex 12-stage life history that includes an overwintering dormancy called diapause.
store up to nearly 70 percent of their body weight in lipids.
are delectable to a range of fish and cetaceans — from herring to endangered northern right whales.