Escaped farmed Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., feeding in Scottish coastal waters

摘要

AbstractEscaped reared salmon, Salmo salar L., were distinguished from wild salmon in the catch of a coastal salmon fishery on the west coast of Scotland. The stomach contents of 54 escaped fish were examined to determine their recent feeding history and 19 (35) were found to contain food. The predominant prey were juvenile whiting,Merlangius merlangus(L.), unidentified Gadidae and sandeels (Ammodytidae), although other fish and invertebrates, mainly post‐larval hermit crabs (Paguridae), were recorded. All these prey are pelagic or semi‐pelagic. These observations demonstrate that escaped salmon feed on natural prey in coastal waters and extend our knowledge of the diet of salmon in their marine ph