A. Bozzano et al., DIET OF THE EUROPEAN HAKE MERLUCCIUS-MERLUCCIUS (PISCES, MERLUCIIDAE)IN THE WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN (GULF-OF-LIONS), Scientia marina, 61(1), 1997, pp. 1-8
A total of 1526 hake stomach contents from specimens ranging between 8
and 65 cm in total length were studied in monthly samples taken in th
e Gulf of Lions in 1993. Key factors influencing the degree of stomach
fullness were related to the size and season. The hake diet is compri
sed primarily of fish and crustaceans but there were size-related chan
ges in the trophic spectrum. The youngest hake feed mainly on small cr
ustaceans (such as euphausids and mysids) and small benthic fishes (su
ch as gobids). As the hake grows, the importance oi fish in the diet i
ncreases. The larger specimens greater than or equal to 25 cm TL feed
increasingly on the larger decapods and, almost exclusively on active
natatory fishes, such as the sardine.