This series represents a secondary level of scientifiic publishing. All issues employ thorough internal scientific review; some issues employ external scientific review. Reviews are --by design --transparent collegial reviews, not anonymous peer reviews. All issues may be cited in formal scientific communications. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE-148Editorial Notes on Issues 122-152 in the NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE Series Editorial ProductionFor Issues 122-152, staff of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center's (NEFSC's) Ecosystems Processes Division have largely assumed the role of staff of the NEFSC's Editorial Office for technical and copy editing, type composition, and page layout. Other than the four covers (inside and outside, front and back) and first two preliminary pages, all preprinting editorial production has been performed by, and all credit for such production rightfully belongs to, the authors and acknowledgees of each issue, as well as those noted below in "Special Acknowledgments." Special AcknowledgmentsDavid B. Packer, Sara J. Griesbach, and Luca M. Cargnelli coordinated virtually all aspects of the preprinting editorial production, as well as performed virtually all technical and copy editing, type composition, and page layout, of Issues 122-152. Rande R. Cross, Claire L. Steimle, and Judy D. Berrien conducted the literature searching, citation checking, and bibliographic styling for Issues 122-152. Joseph J. Vitaliano produced all of the food habits figures in Issues 122-152. Internet AvailabilityIssues 122-152 are being copublished, i.e., both as paper copies and as web postings. All web postings are, or will soon be, available at: www.nefsc.nmfs.gov/nefsc/habitat/efh. Also, all web postings will be in "PDF" format. Information UpdatingBy federal regulation, all information specific to Issues 122-152 must be updated at least every five years. All official updates will appear in the web postings. Paper copies will be reissued only when and if new information associated with Issues 122-152 is significant enough to warrant a reprinting of a given issue. All updated and/or reprinted issues will retain the original issue number, but bear a "Revised (Month Year)" label. Species NamesThe NMFS Northeast Regions policy on the use of species names in all technical communications is generally to follow the American Fisheries Societys lists of scientific and common names for fishes (i.e., Robins et al. 1991 a ), mollusks (i.e., Turgeon et al. 1998 b ), and decapod crustaceans (i.e., Williams et al. 1989 c ), and to follow the Society for Marine Mammalogy's guidance on scientific and common names for marine mammals (i.e., Rice 1998

Age Structure, Growth, and Weight of Branchiostoma senegalense (Acrania, Branchiostomidae) off North-West Africa Abstract Branchiostoma senegalense from a population off North-West Africa reach an age of 4-5 years. Relative growth decreases logarithmically with age. B. senegalense reaches 50% of its maximum length during the first year. Differences in the average length of these lancelets in samples taken in close proximity of each other are ascribed to the absence of individual year classes. The immigration of larvae into suitable sediments depends on the current and follows the pattern of the larval swarms in the plankton. Colonized areas are not normally left. The functions relating wet and dry weights (WW and DW respectively) t o length L are Ig WW = 2.71 x Ig L -2.16, and Ig DW = 2.96 X Ig L -3.45.The dry weight is 11.85 ", ' n of the wet weight.

Identification Key for the Benthic Hydrozoa of the Baltic Sea An identification key for the polyps of Hydrozoans is given in this contribution. It includes all species (a total of 44) that have been mentioned in the available literature to live in the Baltic‐Sea‐Area from Kiel Bight to the Bay of Bothnia. Besides the identification key, taxonomical features and diagnoses of all these species are presented, together with notes on their distribution, biology, ecology, and taxonomy.

Benthic studies were undertaken in two mangrove-lagoons on the south coast of Cuba. Both lagoons are approximately 30-50 cm deep and the tidal range is 15-20cm. There is little influx of fresh water, and the lagoons are normally euhaline. Most of the lagoon bottom is not colonized by plants, although filamentous algae (Cladophma and Enteromorphu spp.) and Thlassia testzddium grow in a few places. Meiobenthic organisms account for 92 0,b of the invertebrates in the benthic zone of the lagoon. The five most common taxn (Nematoda, Copepoda, Tanaidacea, Oligochaeta, Polychaeta) account for 88-94 0 ; of the total number of individuals in Tolete Lagoon and in Basto Lngoon the five most common taxa (Nematoda, Copepoda, Ostracoda, Amphipoda, Polychaeta) account for 97-98 (1 ,,. Biomasses were 26.8 g/m? in Tolete and 20.2 g/m2 in Basto Lagoon.The dominant taxon on the roots of Khimphora nlangle is Crustarea (Balanus eburneus, B. recurrus and Corophizon insidiosurn), accounting for over 60 (1 of the total number of individuals. They are fol loned by molluscs (Cmsaostren rhizophorn) and the polychaetes (Berpulids).