362
THE BIOLOGY OF EUPIIAUSIIDS
food of this species confirming the results of Scott (1888) who found that
euphausiids were absent from among the stomach contents of 80
haddocks collected a t various places on the east coast of Scotland.
Similar findings were reported by Brown and Cheng (1946) for haddock
from Icelandic waters and the Murman coast thus agreeing with
Saemundsson’s (1937) observation that euphausiids were not important
as food for Icelandic haddock and Zatsepin’s (1939) observations on
Murman haddock. More recently, Zelikman (195813) found that Murman
haddock feed mainly on Thysanoessa inermis and T . raschii in April
and June but on Meganyctiphanes norvegica in July; Thysanokksa
longicaudata occurred occasionally. Poulsen ( 1926) also reported
haddock feeding mainly on Meganyctiphanes norvegica in the Skagerrak.
Jones (1954) found haddock and whiting feeding on Nyctiphanes couchii
and Homans and Needler (1946) recorded Meganyctiphanes norvegica
and Thysanoessa inermis in the stomachs of haddock.
The saithe or coalfish, Pollachius virens (L.) (Gadus virens), has been
found feeding on Meganyctiphanes norvegica and other euphausiids along
the coast of Norway near Bergen (Nordgaard, 1901, 1905), in Loch
Pyne (Macdonald, 1927a), all round the coasts of Iceland (Saemundsson,
1937), in Passamaquoddy Bay (Willey, 1921), and in the Gulf of Maine
(Bigelow, 1926). Other gadoid species that eat euphausiids include the
whiting, Odontogadus merlangus (L.) (Carr, 1909 ; Poulsen, 1926 ; Jones,
1954), the blue whiting, Micromesistius poutassou (L.), the poor cod,
Trisopterus minutus (L.), and Gadiculus argenteus Guichenot in the
southern Irish Sea (Hickling, 1925, 1927).
The last three species of gadoids were included by Hickling (1927)
in the diet of the hake, Merluccius merluccius (L.), and his account of
the importance of Meganyctiphanes norvegica either directly or indirectly
in the nutrition of this important food fish is of considerable interest.
Large hake feed on blue whiting, Gadiculus argenteus, smaller hake,
mackerel, cephalopods, clupeoids, argentines and horse mackerel-in
decreasing order of importance in the diet. It has already been mentioned that blue whiting and Gadiculus argenteus feed on Meganyctiphanes norvegica. Smaller hake tend to feed on small fish but when
M . norvegica is abundant hake in the size range 21-64 cm length feed
heavily on them and some of these hake appear to select krill in
preference to, for example, herring. Mackerel feed on M . norvegica and
so also, a t times, do the argentines, Argentina sphyraena L. and A . silus
Ascanius. The large cephalopod mollusc, Stenoteuthis sp., feeds chiefly
on other cephalopods, for example Todaropsis sp. and Ommatostrephes
sp., which in turn feed on Trisopterus minutus (L.) and small Micromesistius poutassou, but sometimes exclusively on Meganyctiphanes
THE BIOLOGY OF EUPIIAUSIIDS
food of this species confirming the results of Scott (1888) who found that
euphausiids were absent from among the stomach contents of 80
haddocks collected a t various places on the east coast of Scotland.
Similar findings were reported by Brown and Cheng (1946) for haddock
from Icelandic waters and the Murman coast thus agreeing with
Saemundsson’s (1937) observation that euphausiids were not important
as food for Icelandic haddock and Zatsepin’s (1939) observations on
Murman haddock. More recently, Zelikman (195813) found that Murman
haddock feed mainly on Thysanoessa inermis and T . raschii in April
and June but on Meganyctiphanes norvegica in July; Thysanokksa
longicaudata occurred occasionally. Poulsen ( 1926) also reported
haddock feeding mainly on Meganyctiphanes norvegica in the Skagerrak.
Jones (1954) found haddock and whiting feeding on Nyctiphanes couchii
and Homans and Needler (1946) recorded Meganyctiphanes norvegica
and Thysanoessa inermis in the stomachs of haddock.
The saithe or coalfish, Pollachius virens (L.) (Gadus virens), has been
found feeding on Meganyctiphanes norvegica and other euphausiids along
the coast of Norway near Bergen (Nordgaard, 1901, 1905), in Loch
Pyne (Macdonald, 1927a), all round the coasts of Iceland (Saemundsson,
1937), in Passamaquoddy Bay (Willey, 1921), and in the Gulf of Maine
(Bigelow, 1926). Other gadoid species that eat euphausiids include the
whiting, Odontogadus merlangus (L.) (Carr, 1909 ; Poulsen, 1926 ; Jones,
1954), the blue whiting, Micromesistius poutassou (L.), the poor cod,
Trisopterus minutus (L.), and Gadiculus argenteus Guichenot in the
southern Irish Sea (Hickling, 1925, 1927).
The last three species of gadoids were included by Hickling (1927)
in the diet of the hake, Merluccius merluccius (L.), and his account of
the importance of Meganyctiphanes norvegica either directly or indirectly
in the nutrition of this important food fish is of considerable interest.
Large hake feed on blue whiting, Gadiculus argenteus, smaller hake,
mackerel, cephalopods, clupeoids, argentines and horse mackerel-in
decreasing order of importance in the diet. It has already been mentioned that blue whiting and Gadiculus argenteus feed on Meganyctiphanes norvegica. Smaller hake tend to feed on small fish but when
M . norvegica is abundant hake in the size range 21-64 cm length feed
heavily on them and some of these hake appear to select krill in
preference to, for example, herring. Mackerel feed on M . norvegica and
so also, a t times, do the argentines, Argentina sphyraena L. and A . silus
Ascanius. The large cephalopod mollusc, Stenoteuthis sp., feeds chiefly
on other cephalopods, for example Todaropsis sp. and Ommatostrephes
sp., which in turn feed on Trisopterus minutus (L.) and small Micromesistius poutassou, but sometimes exclusively on Meganyctiphanes