Food intake of young cod and flounder in a shallow bay on the Swedish west coast

doi:10.1016/0077-7579(82)90068-0

Netherlands Journal of Sea Research

Volume 15, Issues 3–4, December 1982, Pages 419-432

https://doi.org/10.1016/0077-7579(82)90068-0 Get rights and content

Abstract

The importance of shallow soft bottom areas as nursery grounds for I-ground cod, Gadus morhua, and I- to IV-group flounder, Platichthys flesus, was investigated in a 20 000 m² bay, 0 to 1 m deep, on the Swedish west coast. To estimate the amount of visiting fish and their food intake the bay was enclosed with a net once a month from July to November 1979 and from April to November 1980. At each occasion about 60 cods and 8 to 50 flounders were caught. The total biomass of the cod and flounder was 1 to 14 kg and 2 to 13 kg wet weight, respectively. The cod preyed on mobile epifauna such as Carcinus maenas, Crangon crangon and Pomatoschistus spp., whereas the flounder was eating infauna mainly Mya arenaria, Cardium spp. and Nereis spp.

The food intake within the area was calculated to approximate 35 and 10 kg wet weight from April to November for cod and flounder, respectively.

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The food of flounder Platichthys flesus in a tidal area of the Foveran Burn (a tributary of the river Ythan)
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The influence of the strong yearclasses of cod 1969 and 1970 on the stock of brown shrimp along the Netherlands coast in 1970 and 1971
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Observations on the nocturnal behaviour of certain inhabitants of the society's aquarium

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

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We propose that UBRUVS did not capture individuals hidden within the cobble reefs, whereas hiding individuals were likely attracted to the FOV by the bait and thereby contributed to a stronger species-habitat relationship documented by BRUVS. Previous studies have investigated the demersal habits of juvenile cod; identifying a migratory pattern into shallow soft bottom areas (1–2 m) during the night to feed (Pihl, 1982) and a preference for cobble or rocky habitats in the presence of predators in laboratory studies (Fraser et al., 1996; Gotceitas et al., 1995). However, there are fewer studies on adult cod demersal behaviour (Table 3; Kristensen et al., 2017).
Remote underwater video systems (RUVS) are increasingly used in scientific studies to monitor marine ecosystems. RUVS can be deployed baited (BRUVS) or unbaited (UBRUVS) and allow for an estimation of the MaxN metric, a relative measure of species abundance. Recording species MaxN in a variety of marine habitats provides associations between species abundance and habitat type, known as ‘species-habitat relationships’. However, the introduction of bait in BRUVS could obscure such relationships by inadvertently attracting fish from neighbouring habitats. Here, we investigate the species-habitat relationships of seven temperate marine species: Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), right-eyed flatfish (Pleuronectinae spp.), Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus), whiting (Merlangius merlangus), goldsinny wrasse (Ctenolabrus rupestris), two-spotted goby (Gobiusculus flavescens) and shore crab (Carcinus maenas) as revealed by BRUVS and UBRUVS. Video systems were deployed in coastal areas in the Western Baltic, with a cobble coverage ranging from 0% to 100%. Results show that all focal species responded to changes in cobble coverage, highlighting the importance of benthic habitat for a range of animals including benthopelagic species. Specifically, mean abundances of goldsinny wrasse and two-spotted goby were positively associated with cobble coverage, whilst right-eyed flatfish, herring, whiting and shore crab showed a negative association. Atlantic cod was found to be most abundant at intermediate cobble coverage between 65 and 70%, showing a unimodal trend with the mean abundance decreasing again at higher coverage. The relationships suggest that anthropogenic activities modifying benthic habitats, including extraction of material from the seabed and bottom trawling, likely change abundances of a range of marine species. Our comparative analysis suggests that both BRUVS and UBRUVS can identify previously documented species-habitat relationships. However, BRUVS demonstrated some superiority by confirming documented relationships for Atlantic cod and whiting, whilst UBRUVS failed to record any patterns for those species. Our data highlight the ability of BRUVS to identify changes in abundance across different habitats for a variety of species. Although the bait plume serves to attract organisms to the field of view, current results suggest that the use of BRUVS does not obscure species-habitat relationships in patchy coastal habitats. Therefore, future studies examining the importance of different marine areas may benefit from using BRUVS to quantify relationships between habitat variables and species abundance. Developing a better understanding of such relationships will be crucial in ensuring adequate management and protection of ecologically important marine habitats.
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Here, our results show that P. microps affects only a few predator compartments positively. Although P. microps is described as an important food and energy resource to other species (Behrends, 1985; Dornboos and Twisk, 1987; Healy, 1972; Pihl, 1982), only few species feeding on P. microps are reported for the SRB (Kellnreitner et al., 2012; Scheiffarth and Nehls, 1997). The lack of positive impacts on predator species in the SRB may be based on the high availability of C. crangon as an alternative prey to the same predators.
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Habitat quality of a subarctic nursery ground for 0-group plaice (Pleuronectes platessa L.)
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Habitat quality of a subarctic nursery ground in northern Norway for 0-group plaice Pleuronectes platessa was investigated by following settlement, mortality and growth during 2005 and 2006. Newly settled individuals were first observed in the end of May to early June and settlement lasted until mid-July. Densities peaked in early July and were comparable to those reported in temperate nursery grounds. Mortality estimates after settlement differed between 0.062 d⁻¹ in 2005 and 0.025 d⁻¹ in 2006. Potential predators appeared to be rather similar as those reported in other areas: the brown shrimp Crangon crangon, the shore crab Carcinus maenas and demersal fish species (gadoids). Population mean growth indicated linear growth until August leveling-off afterwards. 0-group plaice reached a lower mean size (5–6 cm) at the end of the growing season than in temperate areas probably due to later settlement timing in combination with lower summer–autumn water temperatures. The comparison of observed growth rates with predictions of maximum growth models indicated a similar pattern as observed in temperate nursery grounds: Growth appeared to be maximal except for the period after summer. Whether or not this was related to changes in food quality throughout the season, to interspecies competition or to emigration remains to be elucidated.
Spatial patterns in community structure of motile epibenthic fauna in coastal habitats along the Skagerrak - Baltic salinity gradient
2009, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
Citation Excerpt :
This group of predators constitutes an important link in the food web of the coastal system, as they transfer carbon from the productive shallow sediment habitat to less productive deeper areas off-shore (Möller et al., 1985). Together they may consume up to 75% of the annual production of benthic infauna in a shallow bay, and through migration to deeper waters during winter the epibenthic predators constitute an important prey for larger demersal fish (Pihl, 1982; Pihl and Rosenberg, 1982). In the Baltic regions C and D, P. microps together with Palaemon elegans made up the largest part of the predator group, while C. crangon only contributed with a smaller part decreasing with decreasing salinity.
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Netherlands Journal of Sea Research

Abstract

References (21)

A quantitative analysis of the food intake of North Sea cod, Gadus morhua

Neth. J. Sea Res.

Production, abundance and biomass of mobile epibenthic marine fauna in shallow waters, western Sweden

J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol.

The diet and feeding behaviour of the flounder Platichthys flesus L. in the Ythan estuary, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Estuar. coast. mar. Sci.

Nahrungsuntersuchungen an Postlarvalstadien und Jungtieren von Pleuronectes flesus L. und Pleuronectes platessa L. in der ausseren Wismarer Bucht

Z. Fish. (N.F.)

Periodicity of diel food intake of cod Gadus morhua in the Kiel Bay

Oikos

The yearly consumption of cod in the Baltic and the Kattegat as estimated from stomach content

The food of flounder Platichthys flesus in a tidal area of the Foveran Burn (a tributary of the river Ythan)

The influence of the strong yearclasses of cod 1969 and 1970 on the stock of brown shrimp along the Netherlands coast in 1970 and 1971

Changes in the stock of brown shrimp Crangon crangon in the coastal area of the Netherlands

Rapp. P.-v. Réun. Cons. perm. int. Explor. Mer

Observations on the nocturnal behaviour of certain inhabitants of the society's aquarium

Cited by (98)

Comparing methodologies in marine habitat monitoring research: An assessment of species-habitat relationships as revealed by baited and unbaited remote underwater video systems

An abundant small sized fish as keystone species? The effect of Pomatoschistus microps on food webs and its trophic role in two intertidal benthic communities: A modeling approach

Habitat quality of a subarctic nursery ground for 0-group plaice (Pleuronectes platessa L.)

Spatial patterns in community structure of motile epibenthic fauna in coastal habitats along the Skagerrak - Baltic salinity gradient

Diel changes in behaviour and habitat use by age-0 Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) in the laboratory and field

Potential impact of temperature change on epibenthic predator-bivalve prey interactions in temperate estuaries