The diet and consumption of mackerel in the North Sea (a preliminary report)

Abstract

The contents of 3674 mackerel stomacks sampled during 1981 and 1982 are analysed and presented. The samples were taken by five countries at 270 different stations as a part of The International Stomach Sampling Programme in the North Sea. The gears used were trawl, hook and line, gill net and purse seine. The most important prey items in percent wet weight were copepods, euphausiids and fish. The fish prey items were sandeel, Norway pout, herring, sprat, pearl side, cod, haddock, horse mackerel, pipe-fish, dragonet, weever and dab. An attempt was made to calculate the North Sea mackerel stock’s annual food consumption.