Analysis of the gut contents of largehead hairtail, Trichiurus lepturus (Linnaeus, 1758) in Surigao Del Sur

Abstract

The traditional gut content analysis is one of the methods used which investigates feeding interactions, specifically those belonging to the aquatic food webs. The ribbonfish, <i>Trichiurus lepturus</i> is an economically important fish, and due to its high demand to other south-east Asian countries especially in the Philippines, there is a targeted fishery for this resource. However, the catch of this species in the country has declined recently. Since feeding habits are fundamental to understanding the ecology of a community, this study aimed to analyze the gut contents of <i>Trichiurus lepturus</i>. A total of 66 guts were examined in the study. The size ranged from 101-505 mm in total length. They fed mostly on fishes including <i>Encrasicholina sp.</i>, and shrimps such as <i>Acetes, Penaeus,</i> and <i>Lucifer</i>. Moreover, there was an occurrence of cannibalism but only larger individuals. Microplastics were also evident in most of the size classes.