Feeding of nine Antarctic fish species and their daily ration evaluations

Feeding patterns of four Nototheniid, three Channichthyiid and two Bathydraconiid species were investigated and their daily diets were assessed from data obtained at a day-long station carded out in the Cosmonauts Sea (67°50 S - 41°25 E) in March 1988.
The type of food consumed by Chaenodraco wilsoni and Trematomus eulepidotus indicates that they are plankton-eaters as their diet comprised mainly of Euphausiids; T. centronotus is a benthophage feeding mainly on Gammarids and Polychaetas, T. hansoni is euriphagous while Dissostichus mawsoni, Cygnodraco mawsoni, Gymnodraco acuticeps, Chionodraco hamatus and Cryodraco antarcticus are predators which feed on juvenile Nototheniids and Myctophids.
Daily diet volumes of the species studied varied from 1 to 4% of their body weight while annual volumes ranged from 3 to 9 times their body weight. Mean annual diet volume of antarctic fish species was around 5 times their body weight.