Diet composition and feeding habits of black rockfish Sebastes inermis caught in the coastal waters of Yeosu, Korea

This study thoroughly investigated the diet composition and feeding habits of black rockfish, Sebastes inermis along the Yeosu Coast, South Korea. The stomach content of S. inermis was dominated by shrimp (Acetes japonicus and Crangon hakodatei) and brachyura (Charybdis bimaculata and Charybdis japonica). Shrimp was the dominant prey throughout the seasons, with an increase in fish consumption observed during autumn. Predator size and sampling period influenced the average degree of stomach fullness in black rockfish; however, the significance of fish as prey increased with increasing size. Dietary overlap analysis demonstrated a high overlap among smaller size classes and a low overlap between smaller and larger size classes. The results of this study indicate that black rockfish are specialist predators of shrimp.