FISH SCAVENGING BEHAVIOR IN RECENTLY TRAWLED AREAS

The diets of gurnards Aspitrigla cuculus and Eutrigla gurnardus, lesser-spotted dogfish Scyliorhinus canicula and whiting Merlangius merlangus were examined to determine whether they migrated into recently trawled areas to feed on animals that may be damaged or dislodged by the action of a 4 m beam trawl. Gurnards and whiting increased their intake of prey after an area had been fished. In particular, they increased the proportion of the amphipod Ampelisca spinipes in their diets. Beam trawling damaged the purple burrowing heart urchin Spatangus purpureus, scallop Aequipecten opercularis, Ensis spp. and Laevocardium sp., exposing internal tissues which were then eaten by whiting. Some mobile invertebrate scavengers, such as Pandalus spp., only occurred in diets after the area had been fished, suggesting that these animals were also scavenging over the trawl tracks. Observations of the seabed using a side-scan sonar revealed a greater concentration of fish marks around the trawl tracks than in adjacent unfished areas. Our results indicate that fish rapidly migrate into beam trawled areas to feed on benthic animals which have been either damaged or disturbed by fishing or on scavenging invertebrates. In areas where certain benthic communities occur, beam trawling intensity may be such that it creates a significant food resource for opportunistic fish species. This is a possible mechanism whereby long-term community structure could be altered by fishing activity.