Factors in Interpreting Data Obtained by Diel Sampling of Fish Stomachs

Abstract

A simple differential equation model describing the level of food in the stomach, incorporating simultaneous ingestion and gastric evacuation, is used to gauge the sensitivity of methods that utilize diel change in food level of the stomach to determine diel feeding activity of fish. Analysis of model behavior under different feeding regimes shows that diel pattern of food level in the stomach is less sensitive to feeding regime than many authors claim.An expression is derived for the magnitude of bias associated with cessation of feeding and continuance of gastric evacuation while fish are retained by the fishing gear. This bias may be reduced by minimizing sampling time and accelerating preservation of captured fish in experiments to determine feeding chronology and daily ration.