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Observations on the biology and seasonal variation in feeding of the east coast round herring Etrumeus wongratanai (Clupeiformes), off Scottburgh, KwaZulu‐Natal, South Africa
Author(s) -
Vorsatz Lyle D.,
van der Lingen Carl D.,
Gibbons Mark J.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/jfb.13914
Subject(s) - biology , herring , trophic level , predation , fishery , fish <actinopterygii> , seasonality , sardinella , ecology , clupeidae , zoology , sardine
The basic biology and ecology of the South African east coast round herring Etrumeus wongratanai was investigated from samples of fish collected between 2013 and 2016. This species is short‐lived and reaches a maximum of 3 years of age, with rapid growth in its first year of life. It reproduces from June to December (austral summer) and condition factor was lowest in May through to August and increased from September, probably reflecting the physiological strain before and during spawning. Fish larvae were the most important food items consumed during summer, whereas eucalanid copepods were the most important prey at other times of the year. Stable‐isotope data suggest that there are gradual changes in the trophic level with increasing fish size, δ 15 N and δ 13 C values also differed between seasons. The results obtained here are compared with those of other Etrumeus species, regionally and globally.