Overlap in the type and size of the prey that compose the diet of the pacific sardine Sardinops caeruleus (Girard, 1856), thread herring Opisthonema libertate (Gunther, 1867) and northern anchovy Engraulis mordax (Girard, 1856) in the Gulf of California

Abstract

We present the results of the analysis of overlap in the diet of the Pacific sardine Sardinops caeruleus, the northern anchovy Engraulis mordax and the thread herring Opisthonema libertate. These are the most commercially important species of small pelagic fishes in the fishery that is developed in the Gulf of California. Although the diet of these species is very similar, the overlap is only significant between the northern anchovy and the thread herring. As these two species do not overlap spatially in the Gulf of California, the possibility of competition for food between them is considered unlikely.