Stomach contents and food consumption estimates of Pacific hake, Merluccius productus.

Analysis of stomachs of Pacific hake, collected during August 1983 off the coasts of Washington and Oregon indicates euphausiids comprise the most important food resource in terms of percent by weight, numbers and frequency of occurrence for the species at that time of year. The importance of fish in the Pacific hake diet increases with size of the hake, constituting 87% of the diet by weight in the largest individuals. Weak evidence of a nocturnal feeding pattern was observed. This indistinct nocturnal feeding pattern could have been caused by poor food availability due to El Nino. This species may have a substantial impact on some commercially valuable species such as pink shrimp Pandalus jordani.-from Authors