Food and feeding habits of european perch in the selwyn river, canterbury, New Zealand

Abstract

The food of 194 perch Perca fluviatilis L. from the Selwyn River (43° 44’ S, 172° 26'E) was examined. Numerical, occurrence, and gravimetric methods were used to analyse stomach contents, and seasonal differences in fullness were assessed visually. The diet was stenophagic with the bullyGobiomorphus cotidianus making up almost 95% of the diet by weight. Other foods included smelt Retropinna retropinna, a mysid Tenagomysis, and larvae of the damselfly Xanthocnemis. Feeding patterns did not vary significantly with season, but the volume of stomach contents decreased towards autumn. Perch fed predominantly on the most abundant size class of bullies present in the river, and it was concluded that they were opportunistic feeders. © 1976 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.