Acartia hudsonica is a coastal, cold water species that can be found along the northwest Atlantic coast.

[citation needed] After molting six more times, a copepodite will have grown enough to be considered an adult copepod.

[4] An anatomical characteristic that distinguish A. hudsonica from other Acartia species is blue lines on the anterior of their abdomen.

[7] North of Cape Cod, the water stays cold enough throughout the year for A. hudsonica to be abundant year-round.

Zooplankton play an important role in the pelagic food web by linking primary producers to higher trophic levels, and significantly contribute to biogeochemical cycles.

[11] A literature review done in 1984 showed that copepods, including Acartia, are the most frequently recorded prey of larval fish.

[9] If the dynamic of this interaction changes then the community structure and ecological function of estuaries could be altered.