ABSTRACT: The first evaluation is presented of the daily ration and daily stomach fullness pattern in the European anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus under natural conditions in the western Mediterranean Sea. The results indicated a pattern of daytime feeding, with minimum stomach fullness values between 03:45 and 05:40 h and maximum values between 17:06 and 18:13 h. The daily ration of food ingested was 3.9% of individual weight (34.1 cal g^-1), appreciably lower than the value reported for this same species in the Black Sea but in good agreement with estimates for other species of the genus Engraulis.

KEY WORDS: Anchovy . Engraulis encrasicolus . Feeding . Daily ration . NW Mediterranean

Published in MEPS Vol. 129 (1995) on December 14
ISSN: 0171-8630. Copyright © Inter-Research, Oldendorf/Luhe, 1995