NOAA Technical Memorandum
NMFS-AFSC-67
Food habits of key groundfish species in the eastern Bering Sea slope region
Abstract
The eastern Bering Sea continental slope region contains many groundfish species that are important to the Bering Sea ecosystem. Several studies have described the food habits of these species in the eastern Bering Sea shelf region, however few studies have been conducted for the slope region. Consequently, the food habits of the major groundfish in this region are poorly understood. The focus of this study was to identify the trophic interactions of walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma), Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus), Greenland turbot (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides), arrowtooth flounder (Atheresthes stomias), and flathead sole (Hippoglossoides elassodon) in the slope region of the eastern Bering Sea. Stomach contents of 1,089 walleye pollock, 311 Pacific cod, 455 Greenland halibut, 282 arrowtooth flounder, and 366 flathead sole were examined. The general diet of each species is described and dietary variation due to predator size, depth, season, and latitude within the slope region are examined. Walleye pollock are known to be the most important prey fish in the eastern Bering Sea shelf region. In the slope region, species from the families Bathylagidae and Myctophidae were found, in addition to pollock, to be important forage fish of groundfish predators.
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