Diet composition of gilthead sea bream sparus aurata from bardawil lagoon, north sinai, egypt

Abstract

The diet composition of 609 specimens of Sparus aurata respectively from Bardawil lagoon at three stations, were studied monthly from May 2017 to January 2018. The annual diet composition, monthly variations in the diet composition, the variations of the diet with lengths, and the intensity of feeding were studied. Sparus aurata feeds on a wide variety of prey types; crustacea, mollusks, polychaetes, algae, part of fish, undermined matter, and seagrasses. Crustaceans, mollusks, and polychaetes were the major food items in all months and were found in all length groups for Sparus aurata. Crustaceans and algae increased as the size increased, while mollusks and polychaetes decreased as the fish size increased. The feeding activities of Sparus aurata were quite high in September, December, and January at EL-Nasr, Tulul, and Igzwan stations respectively, and May at EL-Nasr. The finding result revealed that defining the relationships between Sparus aurata with other fishes in Bardawil lagoon, in order to understand the dynamic of this regional ecosystem.