Feeding Habits of Chub Mackerel (Scomber japonicus) in the South Sea of Korea

Abstract

The feeding habits of chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus) were studied based on an examination of the stomach contents of 512 specimens collected between November 2005 and October 2006 in the South Sea of Korea. The specimens ranged in fork length (FL) from 23.4-37.5 cm. Chub mackerel is a piscivore and consumes mainly Teleosts such as Engraulis japonicus. Its diet also includes amphipods, crabs, Euphausia, chaetognaths and shrimp. Smaller individuals (<26 cm FL) consume mainly crabs. The proportion of these prey items decreases with increasing fish size, and this decrease paralleles the increased consumption of fish. The prey size increases with S. japonicus size.