O. A. Bergstad, Å. D. Wik and O. Hildre

Institute of Marine Research, Flodevigen Marine Research Station, N-4817 His, Norway

Source - Journal of Northwest Atlantic Fishery Science, Volume 31: 165-180
ISSN-0250-6408

O. A. Bergstad, Å. D. Wik and O. Hildre. 2003. Predator-Prey Relationships and Food Sources of the Skagerrak Deep-water Fish Assemblage. J. Northw. Atl. Fish. Sci., 31: 165-180. https://doi.org/10.2960/J.v31.a12

Abstract 

The feeding ecology of fishes inhabiting the 300-700 m deep shelf trough of the central Skagerrak (northeastern North Sea) was investigated to identify major trophic pathways and analyse the relative significance of epipelagic, mesopelagic and benthic food sources. Two benthopelagic fish species, roundnose grenadier, Coryphaenoides rupestris, and greater silver smelt, Argentina silus, were highly dominant in this area, but the squalid shark Etmopterus spinax, the chimaera, Chimaera monstrosa, and the witch flounder, Glyptocephalus cynoglossus were also characteristic members of the deep fish assemblage. Vertically migrating euphausids, shrimps (i.e. Pasiphaea sp.), copepods and hyperid amphipods were found to provide direct links between the epipelagic production and the deep-living roundnose grenadier. Prominent benthopelagic prey included the omnivorous Pandalus borealis and Sabinea sarsi. The trophic position of the greater silver smelt was uncertain because a high fraction of the stomach contents were unidentifiable, but a probable food source was thought to be mesopelagic and benthopelagic gelatinous plankton. Etmopterus spinax fed mostly on micronektonic crustaceans such as euphausids, but may have also scavenged on fish carcasses. Both the witch flounder and Chimaera monstrosa were benthophages feeding on a great variety of polychaetes, bivalves, gammarid amphipods and other medium-sized benthic prey.Trophic transfer patterns observed in the Skagerrak were compared with results from slope waters and deep fjords.

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Language - English
Publisher - Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), Dartmouth, N.S., Canada
Publication Date - 2003
Publication Type - Journal Article
Descriptors -  Argentina, Coryphaenoides, deep-water, feeding, food web, Skagerrak

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