The feeding habits of co-occurring cod and haddock larvae from Georges Bank

Abstract

Types, number, size, biomass, and selection of food items by the larvae of Atlantic cod Gadus morhua and haddock Melanogrammus aeglefinus were determined by examination of gut contents from CO-occurring larvae captured in plankton samples from Georges Bank. Eggs, nauplii, and copepodite stages of copepods were the predominant food items for both larvae, but cod consumed larger prey at an earlier age than haddock. The smallest larvae were the most euryphagous, haddock more than cod. Cod and haddock feeding intensity reached a peak shortly before sunset, and both larvae selected against the copepodite stages of Oithona similis. Dietary niche breadth and overlap indices indicate that competition is severe between and among similar sized individuals of both species.