Feeding of Merluccius capensis and M. Paradoxus off Namibia

Abstract

The compositions of the diet of the two hake species Merluccius paradoxus and M. capensis are described and compared for the area off Namibia between 20°S and the Orange River and 100–450 m depth. The main constituents of the diet of both species are small crustaceans, fish and cephalopods, the relative importance of each item varying both geographically and seasonally according to availability of the prey, thus illustrating the opportunistic nature of hake feeding. Daily feeding activity of M. capensis was studied during eight 24-h cycles, and it seemed that predation on crustaceans and myctophids took place mainly during daylight. Values of food intake for a 90-d period were estimated for three length classes of M. capensis, and the results demonstrate the importance of hake as a predator in the marine ecosystem off Namibia. © 1988 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.