The diet of Patagonian hake Merluccius australis polylepis and its daily ration of Patagonian grenadier Macrouronus magellanicus

The diet of the Patagonian hake Merluccius australis polylepis in 1986 was determined by analysis of stomach samples collected from commercial trawl catches. The major prey items were Patagonian grenadier Macrouronus magellanicus and, to a lesser extent, southern blue whiting Micromesistius australis. Large (81–100 cm) hake are mainly piscivorous and consume more grenadier than smaller (51–80 cm) hake. The smaller hake feed both on fish and invertebrates. There was no difference by sex in terms of stomach contents. The daily feeding cycle was also investigated from samples collected during 1991. Hake feed principally on 1-, 2-, and 3-year-old grenadier, which they seem to catch mainly at night. The daily ration of grenadier was between 0,043 and 0,26 per cent of body mass (1,692–9,849 g). The results are similar to those for other hake species in terms of composition of the diet, daily feeding cycle and daily ration.