Interactions of fish and pelagic coelenterates

Abstract

Coelenterates may be predators or prey of fish, act as intermediate hosts for parasites, or provide shelter. At least 42 species of fish, including such commercially important species as the spiny dogfish, chum salmon, Atlantic mackerel, and various gadoids, include pelagic coelenterates in their diets. Coelenterates may represent a substantial proportion of the fish stomach contents and preliminary data on caloric content of coelenterates is available. However, in the absence of measured digestion rates it is not possible to calculate feeding rates or assess the dietary importance of coelenterates to fish. Similarly, although many instances of coelenterates eating larval fish are known, only a few measurements of predation rates based on feeding rates and abundances of predator and prey have yet been made. Recent studies with newer sampling methods indicate that the biomass of coelenterates, particularly large scyphomedusae, has been underestimated. Hence, much quantitative work needs to be done on the interactions of coelenterates with both fish and other marine groups to evaluate their trophic position and importance in pelagic ecosystems.