Temporal changes in the diet composition of Shorttail Yellownose skate, when exposed to overfishing conditions in northern and central Patagonia, Argentina

TSCHOPP, AYELEN; HERRERA, VALERIA P.; GARCÍA, NÉSTOR A.; CRESPO, ENRIQUE A.; COSCARELLA, MARIANO A.

HYDROBIOLOGIA

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2024 vol. 851 p. 2695 - 2710

0018-8158

Abstract Due to their relationship with prey availability,elasmobranchs with an opportunistic diet canserve as indicators of changes in the marine community,thereby enhancing our understanding ofthe health of marine ecosystems. In this study, theZearaja brevicaudata’s trophic ecology was studied,by analysing its stomach contents, aiming to provideevidence of long-term changes in diet resultingfrom shifts in the structure of the Argentine Patagonianmarine community in response to fishing pressure.Changes were evaluated according to catch area,predator size, sex, maturity over time. Moreover, therelationship between Zearaja brevicaudata’s dietaryshifts and the fishing effort of Merluccius hubbsi wasinvestigated. Our results suggest a gradual replacementof the main prey species with lower trophiclevel species. Although no correlation was foundwith fishing effort, the diet of Z. brevicaudata overtime reflected changes similar to those associated tothe fishing exploitation of M. hubbsi in the Patagoniansystem. In this context, the Z. brevicaudata’s dietemerges as a valuable tool for monitoring and assessingchanges in the marine community. By serving asan indicator, Z. brevicaudata’s diet provides crucialinsights into the conservation status of the marineecosystem, enabling informed management and conservationefforts.