Ecology Summary - Merluccius merluccius

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Main Ref.	Svetovidov, A.N., 1986
Remarks	Juveniles are found in deep waters (<17cm) and move to coastal waters where they display an average length of (33 cm length). Longer individuals are found in nursery areas where they feed and grow then move to deeper areas to spawn (Ref. 56328). Found in shoals, in deep water in winter and more inshore in summer. Feed almost entirely on fish, in deep water blue whiting, in summer whiting, Norway pout, and herring (Ref. 4772). Small juveniles prey on small crustaceans (euphausiids, natantian decapods and mysids), while fish assume an increasing importance in the diet with increasing size of hake (Ref. 53691). Feeding intensity was significantly correlated with phytoplankton pigment concentrations (ppc) (Ref. 53691). Cannibalism increases with age, notably in the northern part of the bay of Biscay and in Celtic Sea (Ref. 56328).

Main Ref.

Svetovidov, A.N., 1986

Remarks

Juveniles are found in deep waters (<17cm) and move to coastal waters where they display an average length of (33 cm length). Longer individuals are found in nursery areas where they feed and grow then move to deeper areas to spawn (Ref. 56328). Found in shoals, in deep water in winter and more inshore in summer. Feed almost entirely on fish, in deep water blue whiting, in summer whiting, Norway pout, and herring (Ref. 4772). Small juveniles prey on small crustaceans (euphausiids, natantian decapods and mysids), while fish assume an increasing importance in the diet with increasing size of hake (Ref. 53691). Feeding intensity was significantly correlated with phytoplankton pigment concentrations (ppc) (Ref. 53691). Cannibalism increases with age, notably in the northern part of the bay of Biscay and in Celtic Sea (Ref. 56328).

Aquatic zones / Water bodies

	Marine - Neritic	Marine - Oceanic	Brackishwater	Freshwater
Marine zones / Brackish and freshwater bodies	supra-littoral zone littoral zone sublittoral zone	epipelagic mesopelagic epipelagic abyssopelagic hadopelagic	estuaries/lagoons/brackish seas mangroves marshes/swamps	rivers/streams lakes/ponds caves exclusively in caves

Highighted items on the list are where Merluccius merluccius may be found.

Habitat

Substrate	Soft Bottom: sand; mud; Hard Bottom: rocky;
Substrate Ref.
Special habitats
Special habitats Ref.

Associations

Ref.
Associations
Associated with
Association remarks
Parasitism

Feeding

Feeding type	mainly animals (troph. 2.8 and up)
Feeding type Ref.	Hickling, C.F., 1927
Feeding habit	hunting macrofauna (predator)
Feeding habit Ref.	Svetovidov, A.N., 1986

Trophic Level(s)

Estimation method	Original sample		Unfished population		Remark
Estimation method	Troph	s.e.	Troph	s.e.	Remark
From diet composition	4.42		4.38	0.76	Troph of adults from 1 study.
From individual food items	4.43	1.05			Trophic level estimated from a number of food items using a randomized resampling routine.
Ref.	Bozzano, A., L. Recasens and P. Sartor, 1997

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