Larval fish feeding ecology, growth and mortality from two basins with contrasting environmental conditions of an inner sea of northern Patagonia, Chile

During austral spring 2011, a survey was carried out in the inland sea (41°30′–44°S) of north Patagonia, South Pacific, studying a northern basin (NB: Reloncaví Fjord, Reloncaví Sound and Ancud Gulf) characterized by estuarine regime with stronger vertical stratification and warmer (11–14 °C) and most productive waters, and a southern basin (SB: Corcovado Gulf and Guafo mouth), with more oceanic water influence, showed mixed conditions of the water column, colder (11–10.5 °C) and less productive waters. Otolith microstructure and gut content analysis of larval lightfish Maurolicus parvipinnis and rockfish Sebastes oculatus were studied. Larval M. parvipinnis showed similar growth rates in both regions (0.13–0.15 mm d−1), but in NB larvae were larger-at-age than in SB. Larval S. oculatus showed no differences in size-at-age and larval growth (0.16 and 0.11 mm d−1 for NB and SB, respectively). M. parvipinnis larvae from NB had larger number of prey items (mostly invertebrate eggs), similar total volume in their guts and smaller prey size than larvae collected in SB (mainly calanoid copepods). Larval S. oculatus had similar number, volume and body width of prey ingested at both basins, although prey ingestion rate by size was 5 times larger in NB than in SB, and prey composition varied from nauplii in NB to copepodites in SB. This study provides evidence that physical–biological interactions during larval stages of marine fishes from Chilean Patagonia are species-specific, and that in some cases large size-at-age correspond to increasing foraging success. •We studied growth and feeding of fish larvae from two basins of Chilean Patagonia.•Northern basin (NB) was vertically stratified, with warmer and most productive waters.•Southern basin (SB) showed mixed conditions, colder and less productive waters.•Larval Maurolicus parvipinnis were larger-at-age, preying more on smaller size in NB.•Larval Sebastes oculatus varied prey from copepod nauplii (NB) to copepodites (SB).