Prey selection of early juvenile cod (Gadus morhua L) in the Barents Sea

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From 1977 through 1991 the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) conducted an annual early juvenile survey in June and July along the coast of northern Norway and in the western Barents Sea. The main purpose of these surveys was to generate an index of abundance for the early juvenile fish with particular emphasis on early juvenile cod (here defined as fish 2-3 months old). In 1989, zooplankton samples were also collected at 161 trawl stations during the period 2 to 23 of July. These stomach and zooplankton samples were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively and various methods to estimate prey preferences were applied. Based on these analyses, it appears that early juvenile cod select the largest copepodite stages (IV and V) of Calanus finmarchicus. Capelin larvae were also found in the stomachs but no correlation between the abundance of capelin in the sea and in the stomachs was established.