The diet and trophic ecology of anglerfish Lophius piscatorius at the Shetland Islands, UK

The diet of anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius), based on the analysis of stomach contents, was investigated in the Shetland Islands. Samples were obtained during trawling for sandeel (Ammodytidae species) and demersal trawling when mainly white¢sh (gadoids) are targeted. This allowed the diets of samples collected from di¡erent areas and at di¡erent times to be compared. The diets in different length groups were also compared and niche breadth investigated. A wide range of prey types, mainly ¢sh, were recorded but the main prey was Norway pout (Trisopterus esmarkii) and lesser sandeel (
Ammodytes marinus ). Diet composition varied seasonally. In samples collected during whitefish trawling the occurrence of empty stomachs decreased from the first to the third quarters and generally increased with increasing angler¢sh size. Empty stomachs occurred less frequently in samples
collected from areas where sandeel fishing occurred compared to areas where whitefish trawling occurred