Известия ТИНРО (Jun 2015)
Feeding and food supply of juvenile fishes in the eastern Bering Sea in 2003-2012
Abstract
Feeding of fish juveniles in the eastern Bering Sea is investigated for the periods of 2003-2006 considered as relatively «warm» and 2007-2012 considered as relatively «cold». Small- and medium-sized zooplankton was the dominant prey in the 2003-2006, in particular copepods prevailed in the food of walleye pollock (41.5 %), pacific herring (48.3 %), and sand lance (71.7 %) juveniles, which in turn were the prey for pollock, herring and cod yearlings and other predators. On the contrary, large-sized zooplankton was more abundant in the 2007-2012, so arrowwarms ( Sagitta sp.), large-sized copepods (in particular Calanus marshallae ), euphausiids (mainly Thysanoessa raschii ), hyperiids, and pteropods were the prey for young fish: C. marshallae - for juveniles of pollock (40-45 % by weight) and capelin (32-34 %), Th. raschii - for yearlings of pollock (51 %) and herring (36-46 %), cold-water hyperiid T. libellula - for adult pollock (24 %), juvenile cod (9-18 %) and juvenile herring (9-11 %), whereas portion of fish in the diets was insignificant. In the warm period (2003-2006), juvenile pollock, herring, sand lance and capelin were zooplankton-eaters with the diets similarity 67 %, while yearlings of pollock and juveniles of cod, herring, sandfish, and atka mackerel were fish-eaters preying upon pollock juveniles. In the cold period (2007-2012), the diets of juvenile pollock, juvenile and adult capelin, and juvenile sand lance were also similar at 85-70 % but they preferred large-sized copepods and euphausiids ( C. marshallae and Th. raschii ), while yearlings of pollock, yearlings and adults of herring, and juveniles of sand fish and cod had the diets of 70 % similarity with Th. raschii prevalence. Feeding intensity was high for all species: the mean stomach fullness was 150-200 ‱ for pollock juveniles and yearlings, 200-250 ‱ for cod juveniles, 200-258 ‱ for sand lance juveniles, 302 ‱ for herring juveniles, and 178-250 ‱ for juvenile atka mackerel. The fullness had diurnal rhythm with three peaks: at noon - up to 179 ‱, in evening - up to 213 ‱, and at night - up to 204 ‱ (the data for walleye pollock juveniles in «cold» years only). Daily food ration of juvenile pollock is estimated as 6.7 % of its body weight in the «warm» years and 7.0 % in the «cold» years.
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