Food and Feeding of Deep-sea Redfish (Sebastes mentella Travin) in the North Atlantic

Abstract

The food and feeding of deep-sea redfish (Sebastes mentella Travin) are described from stomach contents of 26 381 individuals analyzed on board commercial vessels in the Irminger Sea waters, from March to November 1996. Most of the stomachs had been everted (58.7%). The mean feeding intensity value through the period was 7.1%. The feeding intensity was higher in the months of least reproductive activity in each sex. The main natural prey were Copepoda, Euphausiacea, Mollusca, Decapoda and Myctophidae. Crustacea dominated the deep-sea redfish diet in March and were more abundant in the diet of smaller individuals; the variety of food items preyed on increased with the length. The intense commercial fishing activity in the area was observed to have a direct influence on the diet composition. Waste products from on-board processing by the fishing fleet reached higher volume values in the adult diet of deep-sea redfish. The comparison between Irminger Sea deep-sea redfish diet and Flemish Cap in the same year and month showed some composition differences.