On the diel feeding rhythm and the estimation of daily food consumption of 0-group crimson sea bream Evynnis japonica in Shijiki Bay, northwest Kyushu

A study on the diel feeding rhythm and an estimation of daily food consumption of 0-group crimson sea bream Evynnis japonica in Shijiki Bay, northwest Kyushu (Japan) were made using. Morishita's (Elliott and Persson's) method from June to July in 1981 and 1983. Changes of stomach-content weight in a starvation experiment were also applied to both exponential and square root models. There were three peaks in feeding activity: morning, noon and evening, with the largest peak occurring at noon. The daily rations were estimated as 5.6 and 5.5% of body weight per day in 1981 and 1983, respectively. Clear differences were found in main food organisms and the diel feeding rhythm between E. japonica and the cohabiting familiar red sea bream, Pagrus major . Peak time of feeding was observed at noon for the former, while at dawn and dusk for the latter. These differences serve in reducing interspecific competition between the two bream.