Analysis of food and feeding habits of Gerres longirostris in the Red Sea coast of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

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Abstract

To expose the food and feeding habits of Strongspine silver-biddy Gerres longirostris, gut contents from specimens caught along the Red Sea coast of Jeddah were collected from August 2019 to  July 2020 (ranging in size from 15.3 cm to 29.1 cm total length). Of the Stomach analyzed, 147 were empty (VI%=36.5) and food items were found in 259 of them. Results showed that Gerres longirostris mainly feeds on small mollusks and crustaceans and it is an omnivore and moderate to a poor bottom feeder. The study revealed a strong correlation between feeding intensity (fullness and vacuity index), relative condition factor and gonado-somatic index. Feeding intensity was the highest between August and February and the lowest from March to July. The maximum value of the Fullness index (FI%) was in Autumn (1.72) and lowest in Summer (0.58). The highest value of the Vacuity index (VI%) was in spring (61.96) and lowest in autumn (23). The highest GSI value was observed in Summer (4.04) with the lowest FI (0.58%) and opposite results in Autumn (FI, 1.72 and GSI, 0.81). Values of relative condition factor (Kn) showed an increasing trend with the value of GSI from lowest in Autumn to highest in Summer. The dominant food item in the diet of G. longirostris was bivalves by weight (63.67%), number (49.97%), occurrence (37.2%), index of preponderance (69.4%) and index of relative importance (75.4%). The results of this study would thus help in the development of a strategy for conservation and management of the natural stocks of G. longirostris in the Red sea, Saudi Arabia.

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