Consumption of mesopelagic prey in the Strait of Messina, an upwelling area of the central Mediterranean Sea: feeding behaviour of the blue jack mackerel Trachurus picturatus (Bowdich, 1825)

This study describes for the first time the feeding behaviour and mesopelagic food consumption of adult Trachurus picturatus in the Strait of Messina (central Mediterranean Sea), where the distinctive hydrodynamic regime and the lunar cycle influence food availability for this predator. Indeed, the Strait of Messina is characterized by the upwelling of colder, saltier and nutrient-rich Levantine Intermediate Water, supporting the congregation and abundance of the mesopelagic community. Despite the commercial importance of T. picturatus in the Mediterranean and Atlantic fisheries, its trophic ecology is almost unknown. Overall, 262 specimens of T. picturatus were collected from small-scale fisheries of the Strait of Messina (September 2016–August 2017) and their stomach content was examined to investigate dietary composition and feeding strategy. Although the absence of a dominant prey item ruled out specialized predatory behaviour in T. picturatus, mesopelagic prey dominated the diet o...