Growth of red gurnard (Teleostei: Triglidae) from Pegasus bay,Canterbury, New Zealand

Growth of the red gurnard, Chelidonichthys kumu (Lesson and Garnot), from Pegasus Bay, Canterbury, was measured during 1966–67. Otoliths were used as an indicator of fish growth; mean length‐at‐age data were obtained from back‐calculated fish lengths at the time of formation of successive annual rings in the otoliths. Growth in length was found to be adequately expressed by the von Bertalanffy growth equation :

l_t = 52.0 [1 ‐ e‐^{0.406 (t‐o.291)}]

(where l_t is the fork length in cm at age t). The length: weight relationship was:

w = 78.56 × 10^‐4 l ^3.072

(where w is the weight in grams). From this relationship, growth in weight was described by the equation:

w_t = 1469 [1 ‐ e‐0.406 (t‐0.291)]³.     

The food and feeding of seven fish species from the Campbell Plateau,New Zealand

The food and feeding habits of hoki (Macruronus novaezelandiae), southern blue whiting (Micromesistius australis), javelin fish (Lepi‐dorhynchus denticulatus), ling (Genypterus blacodes), smooth rattail (Coelorinchus aspercephalus), silverside (Argentina elongata), and small‐scaled notothenid (Notothenia microlepidota) sampled from the Campbell Plateau in 1979 were examined. The importance of prey items in the diet has been assessed by an ‘index of relative importance’, which combines measurements of frequency of occurrence, number, and weight of prey. Hoki, southern blue whiting, and javelin fish are pelagic feeders. Hoki preyed largely on natant decapod crustaceans, amphipods, and myctophid and photichthyid fishes. The main prey of southern blue whiting were amphipods, natant decapods, and euphausiids. Javelin fish fed on natant decapods, amphipods, and small squid. Seasonal and regional differences in feeding, and dietary changes with length of fish were evident. Ling, smooth rattail, silverside, and small‐scaled notothenid are predominantly benthic feeders. Ling preyed on natant decapods, macrourid fishes, and small hoki. The diet of rattail comprised natant decapod crustaceans, opal fishes (Hemerocoetes spp.), and poly‐chaetes. Silverside fed almost solely on salps. Salps, amphipods, brachyuran crustaceans, and opal fishes were the main prey of small‐scaled notothenid.