Food of the oil sardine taken by bottom nets And surface gill net in the mangalore area

Abstract

The food of the oil sardine, Sardinella longiceps Val., caught off Mangalore by gear operating in the upper layers and close to the sea floor was studied. Fish obtained from the surface gill net showed poor feeding and the food consisted mainly of Coscinodiscus, a typical diatom of the upper layers. On the other hand, fish from bottom gill nets and trawl nets had gorged stomachs and the food item comprised mainly, in some cases exclusively, either Pleurosigma or Ornithocercus which are typical bottom-dwelling forms. It is suggested that the oil sardine occasionally resorts to a demersal habitat.