<p>Suruga Bay is the deepest bay in Japan and a habitat for a wide variety of deep-sea fishes. Many of the species have traditionally been caught by deep-sea trawling. However, little is known about the food web and the feeding habits of demersal fishes in Suruga Bay. Because deep-sea fishes are extremely vulnerable to disturbance, strict ecosystem-based resource management is essential, and this requires detailed information on food webs. Thus, based on a visual analysis of the stomach contents of 40 species caught by bottom trawlers in spring and autumn 2022, we determined the guild structure of 15 species for which we had collected sufficient samples. Cluster analysis indicated that these species could be grouped into four guilds: large pelagic crustacean/fish feeder (LP-C/F), pelagic crustacean feeder (P-C), small benthic/pelagic crustacean feeder (SB/P-C), and benthic crustacean/polychaete feeder (B-C/P). LP-C/F primarily consumed shrimp-like crustaceans and fishes; P-C, pelagic decapods (as part of shrimp-like crustaceans); SB/P-C, amphipods, shrimp-like crustaceans, and copepods; and B-C/P, amphipods. Niche overlap between guilds was low, and there was clear differentiation in feeding habits among guilds. Similarly, within the Macrouridae, niche overlap was low, and niche segregation was observed among related species inhabiting sympatric areas. Our findings also highlight the importance of pelagic decapods as prey in the Suruga Bay ecosystem. This new knowledge regarding the food web of the Suruga Bay deep-sea trawl fishery across taxa provides important information for resource management and conservation of deep-sea fishes in the bay.</p>

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Feeding guild structure of deep-sea demersal fish community in southwestern Suruga Bay, central Japan

  • Akira Eto,
  • Masashi Yokota

摘要

Suruga Bay is the deepest bay in Japan and a habitat for a wide variety of deep-sea fishes. Many of the species have traditionally been caught by deep-sea trawling. However, little is known about the food web and the feeding habits of demersal fishes in Suruga Bay. Because deep-sea fishes are extremely vulnerable to disturbance, strict ecosystem-based resource management is essential, and this requires detailed information on food webs. Thus, based on a visual analysis of the stomach contents of 40 species caught by bottom trawlers in spring and autumn 2022, we determined the guild structure of 15 species for which we had collected sufficient samples. Cluster analysis indicated that these species could be grouped into four guilds: large pelagic crustacean/fish feeder (LP-C/F), pelagic crustacean feeder (P-C), small benthic/pelagic crustacean feeder (SB/P-C), and benthic crustacean/polychaete feeder (B-C/P). LP-C/F primarily consumed shrimp-like crustaceans and fishes; P-C, pelagic decapods (as part of shrimp-like crustaceans); SB/P-C, amphipods, shrimp-like crustaceans, and copepods; and B-C/P, amphipods. Niche overlap between guilds was low, and there was clear differentiation in feeding habits among guilds. Similarly, within the Macrouridae, niche overlap was low, and niche segregation was observed among related species inhabiting sympatric areas. Our findings also highlight the importance of pelagic decapods as prey in the Suruga Bay ecosystem. This new knowledge regarding the food web of the Suruga Bay deep-sea trawl fishery across taxa provides important information for resource management and conservation of deep-sea fishes in the bay.