In this lecture we will discuss what nekton are and what they do. Nekton includes all the animals that are larger or faster-swimming than plankton.
Fish Fish are vertebrates, usually cold-blooded.
They are the most abundant nekton and are found at all depths, although their distribution is strongly affected by the availability of food and therefore they are most abundant near the surface. This includes sharks, skates, and rays, the oldest kinds of fish. White sharks are common on the CA coast, where their population may have increased because of the rebound of the seal and sea lion populaitons when hunting stopped. Bony fishes All the other species. Usually zooplankton, sometimes phytoplankton.