In the Beaufort Sea, freshwater input from the Mackenzie River creates a relatively warm and turbid plume across the coastal shelf region. To determine the effects of the Mackenzie River plume on marine larval fish abundance, distribution and assemblages; this study sampled larval fish by using 500 μm bongo nets and obtaining oceanographic measurements across the plume gradient during July and August of 2007. Three larval fish assemblages were identified within three water masses: the intense plume assemblage was dominated by Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii pallasii), the diffuse plume assemblage was dominated by the sub-family Lumpeninae and the oceanic assemblage was dominated by Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida). Also, results revealed that there were no significant differences in the total larval fish abundances within these water masses. In conclusion, this study suggests that the Mackenzie River plume might be identified as an Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area (EBSA), based on the uniqueness criteria under Canada’s coastal conservation strategy.

The thesis combines laboratory experiments and field expeditions to study production, transfer and consumption of non-enzymatic antioxidants and thiamine in an aquatic food web. In particular, I (1) documented spatial and seasonal variation of tocopherols and carotenoids in the Baltic Sea pelagic food web, and (2) examined the effects of abiotic and biotic factors on tocopherol, carotenoid and thiamine concentrations in phytoplankton, zooplankton and fish. Moderate differences in temperature and salinity affected α-tocopherol, β-carotene and thiamine production in microalgae. Furthermore, the results suggest that acute stress favors the expression of non-enzymatic antioxidants rather than enzymatic antioxidants. Because production of α-tocopherol, β-carotene and thiamine differ markedly between microalgae, the availability of non-enzymatic antioxidants and thiamine is likely to be highly variable in the Baltic Sea and is difficult to predict. The transfer of non-enzymatic antioxidants from phytoplankton to zooplankton was biomass dependent. The field expeditions revealed that phytoplankton biomass was negatively associated with α-tocopherol concentration in mesozooplankton. Thus, increased eutrophication of the Baltic Sea followed by an increase in phytoplankton biomass could decrease the transfer of essential biochemicals to higher levels in the pelagic food web. This could lead to deficiency syndromes, of the kind already observed in the Baltic Sea. Astaxanthin is synthesized from precursors provided by the phytoplankton community. Thus biomass dependent transfer of astaxanthin precursors from phytoplankton to zooplankton could be responsible for astaxanthin deficiency in zooplanktivorous herring. Astaxanthin in herring consists mostly of all-Z-isomers, which are characterized by low bioavailability. Therefore, astaxanthin deficiency in salmon could be explained by the low concentration of this substance and its isomeric composition in herring.