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    The food and feeding of five species of icefish in the Elephant Island – South Shetland Islands Region in March 2003

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    Document Number:
    WG-FSA-03/60
    Author(s):
    K.-H. Kock, H. Flores (Germany), C.D. Jones (USA), S. Wilhelms and S. Schöling (Germany)
    Agenda Item(s)
    Abstract

    We studied the food and feeding of five species of icefish in the Elephant Island – South Shetland Islands region in March-early April 2003. C. gunnari took primarily krill. C. aceratus fed on krill and fish with some differences found between Elephant Island and the South Shetland Islands. The bulk of the diet of C. rastrospinosus consisted of krill and fish. Diet intensity, however, was low due to the progressing spawning season. C. antarcticus took almost entirely fish while P. georgianus was a fish feeder at Elephant Island and preyed on krill and fish further south. A large proportion of the stomachs was found to be empty in C. aceratus and C. antarcticus.