Fish populations of the avon‐heathcote estuary

Abstract

Details are given of gut‐content analyses for nine fish species from the Avon‐Heathcote Estuary, Christchurch, New Zealand: sand flounder, Rhombosolea plebeia (Richardson); yellow‐bellied flounder, R. leporina (Hutton); common sole, Peltorhamphus novaezeelandiae (Gunther); yellow‐eyed mullet, Aldrichetta forsteri (Cuvier and Valenciennes); kahawai, Arripis trutta (Bloch and Schneider); spotty, Pseudolabrus celidotus (Bloch and Schneider); cockabully, Tripterygion nigripenne (Cuvier and Valenciennes); common bully, Gobiomorphus basalis (Gray); and globefish, Spheroides richei (Freminville). The percent occurrences of each food type recorded over Ihe sampling period (April 1965‐April 1966) for each species are compared. Monthly food tables are given for those species of which suitably large samples were obtained (sand flounder, yellow‐bellied flounder, common sole, yellow‐eyed mullet, and globefish). Where possible, the dietary occurrence of different food types is related to environmental and other factors observed or considered likely to influence food selection. © 1973 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.