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Diet of the common wolffish Anarhichas lupus in the North Sea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2000

Yih-Yia Liao  and
Martyn C. Lucas
Yih-Yia Liao
Affiliation:
University of Durham, Department of Biological Sciences, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK, [email protected]
Martyn C. Lucas
Affiliation:
University of Durham, Department of Biological Sciences, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK, [email protected]
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Abstract

The diet of common wolffish Anarhichas lupus from the North Sea is described, from a total of 143 wolffish stomachs, of which 112 contained food. The main prey were crustaceans and molluscs, together representing almost 70% of diet by relative frequency of occurrence in stomachs. Wolffish >55 cm preferred polychaetes and gastropods while wolffish <55 cm preferred sea urchins and brittle stars. The occurrence of empty stomachs was significantly less in spring than in summer or in autumn/winter. Meal size was lowest in winter and highest in spring. These data reflect a period of low food intake in winter during spawning and tooth replacement, followed by a recovery feeding episode in spring.

Type
Brief Report
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 80 , Issue 1 , February 2000 , pp. 181 - 182
Copyright
© 2000 Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

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