Om seiens ernæring

Abstract

l. Stomach contents of coalfish from Norwegian waters have been studied. 2. During the first months of the year the food of the 0-group coalfish proved to be planktonic animals; later a transition towards animals of a greater size, e.g. littoral benthic organisms, took place. In the autumn ctenophores were common in the stomachs. 3. In the stomachs of the I- and II-group of coalfish zooplankton was only dominating during spring. Later the significance of fish fry as food was increasing. 4. Stomachs of mature coalfish from the spawning grounds off Møre were investigated. About 60 pst. of the stomachs were empty, and even in the remaining stomachs only small amounts of food were recorded. This food generally consisted of euphausids, and in some cases of 0-group coalfish. 5. During the summer of 1960 stomachs of coalfish from the fishing grounds off Finnmark were investigated. At the beginning of the fishing season the coalfish fed on euphausids, fish fry and cuttlefish. In August there was a complete change and later the food consisted entirely of 0-group herring. At the same time there was a significant increase in the fullness of the stomachs. During the first part of the fishing season local variations seemed to exist in the composition of food.