Occurrence of deep sea prawns in the stomach of Yellowfin tuna

Abstract

The earlier studies on yellowfin tunas (Thunnus albacares) from Indian waters have shown that the fish is an opportunistic feeder, consuming fishes, cephalopods and crustaceans. The main crustacean component is the deep sea pelagic crab, Charybdis smithii. The food and feeding studies of yellowfin tuna from Thoothukudi during the period 2011-2014 were also in conformity with the results of earlier studies