Predators of northern shrimp, Pandalus borealis (Pandalidae), throughout the North Atlantic

A compendium of northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) predators was assembled, thereby consolidating decades of research that described trophic interactions among relevant marine species in the North Atlantic. The importance of shrimp as prey and the impacts of predation on shrimp populations were gleaned, where possible, from the literature. The review identified 26 species that prey on shrimp within North Atlantic ecosystems. The results clarified the role of shrimp as prey within these ecosystems, confirming that they provide an abundant source of food for marine fish, mammals and invertebrates throughout the North Atlantic. The evidence supported the likelihood of predation mortality as one of the key factors regulating shrimp population dynamics. However, lacking representative estimates of shrimp consumption by predators, the net effect on predation mortality within populations was unquantifiable.