Diet and feeding strategy of Northeast Atlantic mackerel (Scombrus scomber) in Icelandic waters

• Published in: PLOS ONE
• Main Authors: Kvaavik, Cecilia, Oskarsson, Gudmundur, Daníelsdóttir, Anna Kristín, Marteinsdottir, Gudrun
• Other Authors: Líf- og umhverfisvísindadeild (HÍ), Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences (UI), Verkfræði- og náttúruvísindasvið (HÍ), School of Engineering and Natural Sciences (UI), Háskóli Íslands, University of Iceland
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2019
• Subjects: Marine ecosystems; Animal migration; Trophic interactions; Predation; Far dýra; Makríll; Sjávarvistfræði; Vistkerfi; Ránlífi; Gam; Calanus finmarchicus; Iceland; Northeast Atlantic; Copepods
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/1866; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225552

Publisher's version Predator-prey relations, as well as the trophic ecology of highly migratory marine species, is important to understand their impact on the ecosystem. Conventional methods were used to study the diet composition and feeding strategy of the Northeast Atlantic mackerel (Scombrus scomber), during their summer feeding migration to Icelandic waters in 2009–2014. In addition, generalised additive modelling (GAM) was used to determine which biological and environmental factors contribute to the variation of their stomach weight in the years 2011–2014. From the dietary analysis, we found that calanoid copepods (especially Calanus finmarchicus) were the most important contributor to the overall diet of mackerel in the years studied. Although in some years and areas, they also preyed heavily on larger prey items such as euphausiids, amphipods and megalopa larvae of crab and shrimp. The GAM showed that temperature and the time the day of sampling were significant explanatory variables for the stomach weight, while zooplankton biomass did not seem to have much influence. The Northeast Atlantic mackerel are ferocious feeders upon copepods, as well as exhibiting an overall opportunistic feeding strategy. During their feeding migration in Icelandic waters, they were found to feed on the most dominant species available to them. This research was funded by the Icelandic Centre for Research (grant number: 163371-051), the Marine and Freshwater Institute of Iceland and Matis as a part of a PhD project on the ecosystem impact of mackerel in Icelandic waters. Peer Reviewed