GEOGRAPHIC-VARIATION IN THE DIET OF PACIFIC HAKE, WITH A NOTE ON CANNIBALISM

We examined the stomach contents of Pacific hake collected from the So uthern California Bight to Vancouver Island. Samples were taken during bottom trawl surveys in 1989, 1991, and 1992 and during a midwater tr awl survey in 1995. We found increasing piscivory with size, and gross variation in the diet with latitude and season. Cannibalism by adults on juvenile (age 1 and young-of-the-year) Pacific hake was found in a utumn 1992 south of Cape Mendocino. In summer 1995, we found adult can nibalism on juveniles (especially age 1) along the entire coast and ca nnibalism by age-1 on young-of-the-year Pacific hake between 33 degree s and 36 degrees N latitude. We discuss some of the implications of ca nnibalism by adjacent cohorts.