Feeding habits of the dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) in the eastern Caribbean

The dolphinfish, Coryphaena hippurus, is an oceanic epipelagic fish with ec onomic importance to sport and commercial fisheries throughout its worldwid e distribution in tropical and sub-tropical waters. In the eastern Caribbea n, dolphinfish are generally piscivorous, eating a wide variety of fish spe cies including small oceanic pelagic species (e.g. flyingfish, halfbeaks, m an-o-war fish, sargassum and rough triggerfish), juveniles of large oceanic pelagic species (e.g. tunas, billfish, jacks, dolphinfish), and pelagic la rvae of neritic, benthic species (e.g. flying gurnards, triggerfish, puffer fish, grunts). They also eat invertebrates (e.g. cephalopods, mysids, scyph ozoans), suggesting that they are essentially non-selective foragers. This appears to be typical of dolphinfish from other locations and of tropical o ceanic pelagic species in general. Post-larval flying gurnards and flyingfi sh rank as the most important prey species overall. However, the diet varie s with season, and mysids are a very important component from October to De cember. Diet also varies slightly with predator size (small dolphinfish eat fewer flyingfish and more squid than larger sized dolphinfish), and with s ex (males take proportionally more of the active, fast swimming species suc h as flyingfish, squid and dolphinfish than do females). From these results and a review of the literature to determine the diet of other tropical oce anic species and the predators of dolphinfish, it can be seen that predator -prey relationships and interspecies competition for food clearly involve o ther commercially important species. As such, interactions between the surf ace trolling dolphinfish fisheries, the surface gillnet flyingfish fisherie s, and the subsurface longline tuna fisheries in the eastern Caribbean can be expected.