Diet of Ringed Seals (<i>Phoca Hispida</i>) in a Fjord of West Svalbard

Abstract

Stomachs of 134 ringed seals from West Svalbard (Kongsfjorden) and East Svalbard (drift ice) were examined. Twenty-four prey taxa were found. The most important items were arctic cod (Boreogadus saida), shrimp (Pandalus borealis), krill (Thysanoessa inermis) and the amphipod Themisto libellula. In spring young redfish (Sebastes sp.) was an important food item; in summer seals fed on dense aggregations of krill in front of glaciers. Mysids, amphipod crustaceans and small size classes of coastal fish species were abundant in Kongsfjorden, but seals take them as secondary food items only.Key words: ringed seals, Phoca hispida, arctic food web, fjord ecology, Svalbard, prey taxa