The diet of three commercial fishes based on stomach contents in the Yellow Sea

Stomach contents of three commercially important species, anchovy (Engraulis japonica), small yellow croaker (Larimichthys polyactis) and yellow goosefish (Lophius litulon) were analyzed to investigate difference of prey between Spring and Fall. Trawl surveys for target fishes were conducted at 12 stations by the RV Tamgu-8 in the Yellow Sea-Korean side in Spring and Fall 2008 as a part of the United Nations Development Programme/Global Environment Facility (UNDP/GEF), Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (YSLME) survey. Stomach contents of 50 individuals of each species were analyzed to species level of prey, if the number of specimens was more than 50 for each species. Fullness and digestion condition of stomach contents were determined by five and six levels, respectively. In anchovy stomachs, 23 species in Spring and 15 species in Fall were identified, respectively. Stomach contents were mostly occupied by copepods and euphausiids, mostly Euphausia spp., calyptopis in Spring while by copepods and amphipods in Fall. In small yellow croaker stomachs, 23 species in Spring and 11 species in Fall were identified. Stomach contents were mostly occupied by copepods and euphausiids in Spring, but by only euphausiids in Fall. Total 368 yellow goosefish (151 in Spring and 217 in Fall) were captured, but stomach contents only in Fall were analyzed. Most of stomach contents were anchovy with small proportion of Hakodate sand shrimp, Tanaka’s snailfish, Pacific cod, and miscellaneous things. The present research unveiled that main food items of plankton feeder were distinctly different by species and seasons in the Yellow Sea-Korean side, as coincided with previous reports.