Food and Feeding Habits of Swordfish, Xiphias gladius , in the Western North Atlantic
In the northern part of its western Atlantic range, the swordfish feeds on relatively few species of fish. Volumetrically the most important species are Atlantic mackerel, barracudinas, silver hake, redfish, and Atlantic herring. Squid are also important in the diet, and accounted for nearly one-fif...
| Published in: | Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Canadian Science Publishing
1968
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f68-084 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f68-084 |
| Summary: | In the northern part of its western Atlantic range, the swordfish feeds on relatively few species of fish. Volumetrically the most important species are Atlantic mackerel, barracudinas, silver hake, redfish, and Atlantic herring. Squid are also important in the diet, and accounted for nearly one-fifth of the volume in the stomachs examined. There is evidence that the swordfish frequently uses its sword to attack and disable even small individual food items before ingesting them. |
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