Growth and maturation of postlarval male snow crab (Chisnc~ecetes spklio) in an exploited Gulf of Saint Lawrence population were elucidated using size distributions in beam trawl samples taken bimonthly from April 1991 to May 1992, moult and maturity indices, and measures of growth per moult. Males develop in three stages: immature, without spermatophores; adolescent, with spermatophores but undifferentiated chelae; and adult, with spermatophores and differentiated chelae. Males change from immature to adolescent after a puberty moult, and from adolescent to adult after a terminal moult producing a final carapace width (CW) >40 mm. The slope of the regression relating post-to pre-moult CW decreases after puberty. Carapace moult increments are the same at pre-terminal and terminal moults, for a constant premoult CW. Males recruit to the legal size of 95-mm CW at instar XII, 43.7 years or more after settlement. The slope of the regression of gonad weight on CW is less for adult than for adolescent males owing to the formers' participation in reproduction and to greater depletion of sperm stores in large than in small adult males. Gonad weight increases with time since moult, but for large adults, did not reach levels recorded in prefishery times or in an unfished population.IRCsumC : La eroissance et la maturation des stades postlarvaires du male du crabe des neiges (Chioaoecetes spilio) dans une population exploitke du golfe du Saint-Laurent ont Ct C 6lucidCes a 19aide de distributions des tailles dans des Cchantillons bimestriels prClevCs h l'aide d'un chalut B perche d'avril 1991 a mai 1992, d9indices de mue et de maturitC et de mesures dvaccroissement de la taille B la mue. Le male se dCveloppe en trois Ctapes: immature, sans spermatophores; adolescent, avec spermatophores mais h pinces non diffkrencikes; adulte, avec spermatophsses et pinces diffCsenciCes. Le male immature devient adolescent aprks une mue de pubertC et l'adolescent devient adulte aprks une mue terminale rtsultant en une largeur de earapace (LC) finale >40 mm. La pente de la rkgression entre les LC post-et prCmue dCcro"i aprks la pubertC. L'accroissement de la carapace 2 la mue est pareil aux mues prC-terminale et terminale, pour une mCme LC prCmue. Ees mQles recrutent a B a taille l6gale de 95 mm de LC au stade XHI, =8,7 ans ou plus aprks lVCtablissement. La pente de la rCgression du poids des gonades sur la LC est plus faible chez les mlles adultes que chez les m21es adolescents, paree que les premiers participent B la reproduction et que les rkserves de sperme sont plus entamCes chez les gros que chez les petits males aduItes. Le poids des gonades croft en fonction du temps CeoulC depuis la mue, mais n9atteignait pas chez les gros mlles adultes les niveaux enregistr6.s avant l'essor de la pCche ou dans une population vierge.

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Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) distribution was derived from a 12 year observation programme in the Mingan Islands (Canada) and related to three geological features of the sea-floor: maximum depth, topography and geomorphology. Minke whale distribution was not uniform nor random in relation to maximum depth and topography, however, no evident trend was found. The most prominent factor was the presence of underwater sand dunes, where significantly more minke whales were observed than on any other bottom types. Because sand dunes are the favoured habitat of the minke whale major prey in the study area, an indirect link between minke whale distribution, geomorphology and substrate type is suggested.