A multi-predator trophic database for the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem

Abstract

The California Current Trophic Database (CCTD) was developed at NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center in collaboration with numerous diet data contributors. We compiled the CCTD from twenty-four data sets, representing both systematic collections and directed trophic studies. Diet composition data, including stomach and scat samples, were obtained from 105,694 individual predators among 143 taxa collected throughout the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME) from 1967–2019. Predator taxa consist of squids (n = 5), elasmobranchs (n = 13), bony fishes (n = 118), and marine mammals (n = 7). Extensive time series are available for some predators (e.g., California Sea Lion, Pacific Hake, Chinook Salmon). The CCTD represents the largest compilation of raw trophic data within the CCLME, allowing for more refined analyses and modeling studies within this region. Our intention is to further augment and periodically update the dataset as additional historical or contemporary data become available to increase its utility and impact.