Cephalopods in the diet of albacore, Thunnus alalunga, from the eastern Mediterranean

Abstract

In this study, the stomach contents of 116 albacore specimens, Thunnus alalunga were examined from the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Fifty-five of the 116 stomachs examined were empty. The occurrence of major prey categories in stomachs were 95.1% cephalopods, 47.5% teleosts and 39.3% crustaceans with a total Of 633 individuals belonging to 14 species identified. Heteroteuthis dispar from the order Sepiolida constituted 56-40% of the main cephalopod prey followed by Onychoteuthis banksii from the order Teuthida.