Feeding habits of skipjack tuna associated with flotsam and those from free schools were studied based on data collected from the pole and line fishery from Minicoy during 1999-2001. The flotsam were found in different months but was more frequent during Sept. to Nov. A preponderance of smaller siz-e groups below 40 cm (48%) was seen around flotsam whereas in free schools size groups above 50 cm (65%) dominated. Stomach contents of 828 individuals were analysed. In flotsam associated skipjack, stomachs were found to be either empty or with natural prey. Caridian shrimps were found to be the main food in all size groups/and were actively fed. The average ration per 1000 g body weight ranged between 17.3 and 39.4 ml suggesting that the flotsam have a function related to feeding rather than refuge

Sivadas, M

Wesley, S Godwin

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J . Ecobiol.21 (1) 57-62 (2007) ISSN: 0970-9037-07-21-57 © Palani Paramount Publications-Printed in India FEEDING HABITS OF SKIPJACK TUNA, KATSUWONUS PELAMIS ASSOCIATED WITH FLOTSAM IN MINICOY, LAKSHADWEEP M SIVADAS AND S GODWIN WESLEY* RESEARCH CENTRE OF CENTRAL MARINE FISHERIES RESEARCH INSTITUTE, WEST HILL, CALICUT 673005, KERALA, INDIA *DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY, SCOTT CHRISTIAN COLLEGE, NAGERCOIL 629004 TAMIL NADU,INDIA (Receivedo26.9.2005; revised 21.12.05; accepted 25.12.05) ABSTRACT Feeding habits of skipjack tuna associated with flotsam and those from free schools were studied based on data collected from the pole and line fishery from Minicoy during 1999-2001. The flotsam were found in different months but was more frequent during Sept.! to Nov. A preponderance of smaller siz-e groups below 40 cm (48%) was seen around flotsam whereas in free schools size groups above 50 cm (65%) dominated. Stomach contents of 828 individuals were analysed. In flotsam associated skipjack, stomachs were found to be either empty or with natural prey. Caridian shrimps were found to be the main food in all size groups/and were actively fed. The average ration per 1000 g body weight ranged between 17.3 and 39.4 ml suggesting that the flotsam have a function related to feeding rather than refuge. Key words: Skipjack tuna, Minicoy, Flotsam, Feeding habits. INTRODUCTION It is well known that tunas aggregate around floating and drifting objects of both living and non-living ones. This habit has long been utilized for their exploitation. The advantages of fishing from schools associated with flotsam are the reduction in scouting time and the consequent reduction in the use of fuel and above all increased catch rate. In Mnicoy, fishing from such schools by pole and line and troll line is very common. Here though flotsams are observed regularly during the fishing season, they are more frequent from Sept. to Nov. Observations on tunas associated with flotsam have been made earlier from here (Mohan 1985; liVingston 1989). However, specific studies on feeding habit of tunas associated with flotsam have not been made. Hence in this study, an attempt has been made to understand the feeding habits of skipjack tuna associated with flotsam and compared it with the feeding habits of skipjack tuna from unassociated schools based on data collected from Minicoy. 58 M SIVADAS AND S GODWIN WESLEY MATERIAL AND METHODS In Mlnlcoy, normally he flotsam material is also brought tolhe shoro ~ner fishing. So lh~1' physical verification r.s possible. In addition to this. enquiry wilh Lhe lishermen and observation of species composition of the catch and slzecomposilion o·f the tuna also reveal the nature of the sohool. Here the catches are un.'oaded in the beach and Ihe flshennen share the I.unas among themselVes. More over the entrails are removed before they arelaken home. This facilitates on Ihe spot ooUecti:on of data (Feb.i 999-Marcih 200 ) on is/ze, weight. sex, feedln,g conditlon, lyp~ of food etc; besides the col ection of catch and effort data. For detajled study, guts of tunas or known length and weight are taken to the laboratory, In the laboratory. the stomachs are weighed and the oot"ltents sorted and weighed both by volume and weight. The prey was. Identified to the lowest posslb:le taxon . For feeding condition , six stages were flxed based on the distension of the stomach such as t)mp~y.~, ~. %" tull and gorged. The guts containing n:atur~1 prey only were taken to assess Ine feeding. condition. The guts containing baits alone were also tl'eat·ed as empty. Neverthe'less. Ihe quantity of bait present gives an indication of the feeding responsl3. Ashes with gorged. full , % and *, condilion were trea.ted as actively fed and the rest as poorly ted. The average volume ot food(R) laken by fish was estimated by R = VJN were V is Ihe total volume ot food consumed by N numbel' or fish, SInce the prey was mostly rn1act. the value R is taken to represent ~he quantity ot food consumed during an activep&rlod and hence tanned ration as done by Devaraj (1999). The ration per 1000 9 body weight oHile predator was estimated by using' the expression R1 ~ AIW -1000 where W is the mean weight of ille predator in gm in the sample. RESULTS Food composition: Natural food items found were mainly prawns though squids numbering 1 to 4 were also seen occasionally. In un associated schools, besides prawns and squids, filefishes, Decapterus sp. etc; were also found. Both juveniles and adults had fed on prawns (Table 1). Seasonal variation: Prawns were seen from Sep. to Nov. and in Feb. and squids in Feb. and April. In unassociated schools, during the same period, prawns became 'food in Nov. only. Consumption of Decapterus sp. and filefishes were noted in Nov and squids in the months of Feb. and April. Occurrence of flotsam fishery: The fishery was observed from Feb. to March and Sep. to Nov. in 1999, April and Nov. in 2000 and Feb. to March in 2001 (Table 2). The flotsam materials were logs, nylon net pieces, nylon rope with plastic buoy, etc; Condition of feed: The guts of tunas from a flotsam associated school were either uniforml¥ empty or with natural prey (Table 2). When natural prey was present, the feeding condition was good. Thus the schools observed from Sep. to Nov. in 1999, April in 2000 and Feb. in 2001 were found to be actively fed. But Journal of Ecobiology. Vol.21 (2007) FEEDING HABITS OF SKIPJACK TUNA, KATSUWONUS PELAMIS IN MINICOY £9 the tunas observed from unassociated schools during the same period were found to be poorly fed except in the month of Nov. in 1999 and 2000. The prey was found to be intact in the tunas from both the schools indicating very little elapse oHime after ingestion . Significant (p<0~05) deviation was found between free and flotsam sch~ol (Table 3). Table 1 Feeding condition and food contents of K.pelamis along with size range and dominant size groups. Free school Flotsam school Month Size range I Condition & dominant Size range Condition & dominant (cm) & lood . (cm) & food dominant dominant group group Feb.1999 42-58(50) Empty to % squid, 30-§4(48) Oto% . bait bait March I 34-60(48-50) o to~ b~i't Sep. 50-58(54) Empty 38-46(44) Y2 Prawn, Oct 44-58(54-56) ~ Bail 42-56 (46) V2 Prawn I Nov. 42-62(52-58) Empty to full Prawn 26-66 (56) V2 Prawn April 2000 40-68( 52-54) o to 14 20-38 (24) V2 Digested food, I Digested food, squid squid Nov. 36-56(46-48) Oto% Decspterus sp 28-50(36) Empty File fish Feb.2001 50-64(56-58) Y2 to full bait 24-46(28) Y2 Prawn, squid. . March . - 26-54(34) Oto% bait Variation in -average food: The average food obtained during an active period in a-month ranged from 22 to 41.4 ml (Table 4). The natural prey in unassociated school was found only in Nov. and it was 48.4 ml. The calculated food per 1000 g body weight of tuna variedtrom 17.3 to 39.4 ml in flotsam associated school and 19.9 inl in un associated school. DISCUSSION Tunas in general are considered to be opportunistic feeders. Therefore the caridean prawns, Thalassocaris sp. and Leptochela sp.found in the stomachs as major food items may be an indication of the abundance of this Journal of Ecobiology. Vol.21 (2007) 60 M SIVADAS AND S GODWIN WESLEY prey and their easy accessibility. Menard et al (2000) observed that under fish aggregating devices( FADs), stomach contents rarely contained the same category of prey with the same degree of digestion and for a given school, empty stomachs and more or less full stomachs were observed simultaneously. But in the present observation, the category of prey, viz. prawns were seen with the same degree of digestion in a school in different months. Moreover, for a given flotsam associated school, simultaneous occurrence of empty stomachs and more or less full stomachs were observed very rarely. In majority of the cases, either it was completely empty or with natural prey. Table 2 Number of tuna sampled and percentage of empty stomachs Un associated Flotsam associated Month Number % empty Number % empty Feb.1999 71 69 SO 100 March 0 60 100 Sep. 53 83 50 0 Oct. 25 100 26 0 Nov. 97 13 30 0 April 2000 47 47 30 0 Nov. 5 44 25 100 Feb.200t 55 100 25 0 March 0 0 129 100 Total 403 425 In the Indian Ocean, Roger (1994) found that all the guts of tunas sampled from sets under. FADs before sunrise were empty.' Since the pOle'find line'a'nd troll line fishing in Minicoy are practiced as day fishing and the fishing starts very late in the morning, an all round sampling of tuna covering 24 hours is notpossible. However, tunas c~ught in the forenoon as well as afternoon contains either empty stomachs or stomachs with different feeding conditions. In the present observation, prawns were the only prey. The intactness and near freshness of the prey prove that they fed at daytime (fishing time). Menard et al(2000) found that the tunas of size less than 90 cm including skipjack tuna do not feed under drifting FADs and they will have to leave the FADs during the day and may form free swimming loose schools to feed. In the present observation the tunas were found associated with the flotsam. It is also seen that the tunas always show a feeding frenzy when the baits are thrown. Tunas with empty stomach are found to take good quantity of baits when thrown overboard. This also clearly shows that they will feed while . . schooling under the flotsams. Journal of Ecobiology. Vol.21 (2007) • FEEDING HABITS OF SKIPJACK TUNA, KATSUWONUS PELAMIS IN MINICOY 61 Table 3 Comparison of guts of skipjack associated with flotsam and those from unassociated shoals. Of ~ Within Unassociated 8 8097.56 shoals Flotsam 8 8897.56 shoals Pooled 16 16995.12 Difference Total 17 17022 Difference Slopes = 10.27248 1,14 Elevation = 1.'9775 15,1 '5..'1 Do/ b 3235.56 2678.0 0.33 15622 10899.33 1.22 18857.56 13577.33 0.7988 between Slopes 18914.44 10147 between adjusted means Significant at 5% Not significant. Df Deviation from MSS regression (SS) < 7 2349.9001 7 2270.5425 14 4620.4426 330.0316 15 8010.6881 534.0459 1 3390.2455 3390.246 16 12865.7026 804.1064 1 270.0605 270.0605 Table 4 Observed stomach contents (ml) and body weight (kg) of skipjack from which stomach samples were taken. I Month Body mass (kg) Observed stomach contents in ml (ration) Min Max Mean Min Max Mean Body weight (1000 g) Sep. 99 1.0 1.65 1.27 10 35 22 17.3 Oct. 1.45 3.4 1.87 15 60 37.5 20.1 Nov. 0.3 4.5 1.86 10 90 41.6 22.38 Apr. 00 0.2 0.6 0.4 10 25 15.4 38.4 Feb. 01 0.3 1.6 0.65 10 50 24.4 39.4 The fact that the same type of food item is present in all the size groups from juveniles to adults indicates that there is no shifting of feeding habit from one group to another as the size increases. Magnuson (1969) found that the maximum capacity of the stomachs of captive skipjack tuna was 7 % of the weight of the fish. But during an entire day, they ate food weighing around 15 % of their body weIght. In the present observation, maximum capacity 'of the gut was found to reach 4.4 % of the weight of fish . But this quantity is arrived taking Into' consideration of the food consumed in an active feeding period in a day. The frequency of feeding Is not considered. So it Is likely that the maximum capacity will be higher than the present capacity. Journal of Ecobiology. Vol.21 (2007) 62 M SIVADAS AND S GODWIN WESLEY The large yellow fins are found to feed on the scombridae associated with the FADs and thus have a high biomass for predation (Yesaki 1983). But for the smaller tunas associated with the FADs, the potential prey available under FADs is very low (Menard 2000). So they are of the opinion that FADs have a refuge function for small tuna and function related to feeding for large tuna. According to Mohan (1985), association of tunas with flotsam is only a coincidence and they serve as mere companions drifting in the same direction with the tuna school. But Livingston (1989) suggested that this is an ecological adaptation for a pelagic mode of life. The fact that the tunas and other pelagic fishes congregate not only around drifting objects but also around fixed FADs suggest that these objects are not serving as mere companions drifting in the same direction. As tunas are adapted for a pelagic mode of life, this cannot be an ecological adaptation also. Considering the nature of flotsam materials such as net pieces, plastic buoys with coir ropes etc; the assumption that it serves as a refuge does not appear plausible. The tunas associated with the flotsam always show a feeding frenzy when the live baitfishes are thrown from the boat indicating that they are in search of food. But the flotsams observed were all minor objects that could not attract forage organism of such magnitude as to be preyed upon by a large shoal of tuna. So it is likely that the tunas moving in front of a school may be attracted to the flotsam by the presence of forage organisms and others follow them as part of the shoaling behaviour. REFERENCes Devaraj M 1999 Food and feeding habits of the king seer, Scombermorous commerson (Lacepede) in the seas around the Indian Peninsula. J.Mar.BioI.Ass.lndia 40 (1&2): 69-90. Frederic Menard, Bernard Stequert, Alex Rubin, Miguel Herrera, Emile Marchal 2000 Food consumption of tuna in the Equatorial Atlantic Ocean: FAD- associated versus unassociated schools. Aquat.Living Resour.13 (4): 233-240. Livingston P 1989. Schooling behaviour of tunas in Lakshadweep. Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi Bull.No.44: 1 - 214. Magnuson J.J 1969 Digestion and food consumption by skipjack tuna (Kstsuwonus pe/amis). Trans.Am.Fish.Soc.98:379-392. Mohafl M 1985. Observations on the tuna shoals associated with flotsam in the off shore waters of Minicoy Island during 1982-83 season. Bull. Cent. Mar. Fish. Res. Inst. 36:188-192 Roger C 1994. Relationships among yeUowfin and skipjack tuna, their prey fish and plankton in the tropical western Indian Ocean, Fish.Oceanogtr. 3: 133-141. Yesaki M 1983. Observations on the biology of yellowfin( Thunnus s/bscsres) and Skipjack (Katsuwonus pe/smis) tuna in the Philippine waters. FAD. In Pacific Tuna Development and Management Programme. IPTP/83IWpn. Journal of Ecobiology. Vol.21 (2007) 

Feeding habits of skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis associated with flotsam in Minicoy, Lakshadweep

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Feeding habits of skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis associated with flotsam in Minicoy, Lakshadweep

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