Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Diet of finfish targeted by fishers in North West Australia and the implications for trophic cascades

  • Published:
Environmental Biology of Fishes Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Detailed information of fish diets is required if we are to understand complex interactions between species and successfully manage resources at an ecosystem level. We compiled diet information from 76 species of fish targeted by recreational and commercial fishers in North West Australia. Based on 81 independent studies we demonstrate that species targeted by the fishery are all carnivores, however the type of prey they consume and their trophic level is variable (3.31–4.49) and trophic range of some species spans different trophic levels (e.g. Lethrinus nebulosus, 3.46–4.35). These findings infer that in highly diverse systems, such as coral reefs, trophic cascades instigated by fishing must be investigated at the species, rather than functional or trophic level. Moreover, as prey availability is likely to vary spatially and temporally, diet must be quantified locally to assess ecosystem level impacts of fishing.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allen JI, Clarke KR (2007) Effects of demersal trawling on ecosystem functioning in the North Sea: a modelling study. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 336:63–75

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Zibdah M, Odat N (2007) Fishery status, growth, reproduction biology and feeding habit of two scombrid fish from the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea. Leb Sci J 8:3–20

    Google Scholar 

  • Arendt MD, Olney JE, Lucy JA (2001) Stomach content analysis of cobia, Rachycentron canadum, from lower Chesapeake Bay. Fish Bull 99:665–670

    Google Scholar 

  • Babcock RC, Kelly S, Shears NT, Walker JW, Willis TJ (1999) Changes in community structure in temperate marine reserves. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 125:125–134

    Google Scholar 

  • Bachok Z, Mansor MI, Noordin RM (2004) Diet composition and food habits of demersal and pelagic marine fishes from Terengganu waters, east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. NAGA 27:41–47

    Google Scholar 

  • Barnett A, Bellwood DR, Hoey AS (2006) Trophic ecomorphology of cardinalfish. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 322:249–257

    Google Scholar 

  • Bass AJ, D’Aubrey JD, Kistnasamy N (1973) Sharks of the east coast of southern Africa. 1. The genus Carcharhinus (Carcharhinidae). S Afr Ass Mar Biol Res, Oceanogr Res Inst. Invest Rep 33:1–168

    Google Scholar 

  • Baum JK, Myers RA, Kehler DG, Worm B, Harley SJ, Doherty PA (2003) Collapse and conservation of shark populations in the northwest Atlantic. Science 299:389–392

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Begg GA, Hopper GA (1997) Feeding patterns of school mackerel (Scomberomorus queenslandicus) and spotted mackerel (S. munroi) in Queensland east-coast waters. Mar Freshwat Res 48:565–571

    Google Scholar 

  • Bell JC, Nichols JT (1921) Notes on the food of Carolina sharks. Copeia 1921:17–20

    Google Scholar 

  • Beukers-Stewart BD, Jones GP (2004) The influence of prey abundance on the feeding ecology of two piscivorous species of coral reef fish. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 299:155–184

    Google Scholar 

  • Blaber SJM, Cyrus DP (1983) The biology of Carangidae (Teleostei) in Natal estuaries. J Fish Biol 22:173–188

    Google Scholar 

  • Blaber SJM, Milton DA, Rawlinson NJF (1990) Diets of lagoon fishes of the Solomon Islands: predators of tuna baitfish and trophic effects of baitfishing on the subsistence fishery. Fish Res 8:263–286

    Google Scholar 

  • Blaber SJM, Brewer DT, Salini JP (1994) Diet and dentition in tropical ariid catfishes from Australia. Environ Biol Fishes 40:159–174

    Google Scholar 

  • Brewer DT, Warburton K (1992) Selection of prey from a seagrass/mangrove environment by golden lined whiting, Sillago analis (Whitley). J Fish Biol 40:257–271

    Google Scholar 

  • Brewer DT, Blaber SJM, Salini JP, Farmer MJ (1995) Feeding ecology of predatory fishes from Groote Eylandt in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia, with special reference to predation on penaeid prawns. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 40:577–600

    Google Scholar 

  • Castillo JL, Uribe JA, Bonfil R, Vélez R, Mendizabal D, de Anda D, Mena R, Márquez JF (1992) Estado actual de la pesquería de tiburón en México. Instituto Nacional de la Pesca, México

    Google Scholar 

  • Castro JI (1996) The biology of the blacktip shark, Carcharhinus limbatus, off the southeastern United States. Bull Mar Sci 59:508–522

    Google Scholar 

  • Chesher RH (1969) Destruction of Pacific corals by the sea star Acanthaster planci. Science 18:280–283

    Google Scholar 

  • Cliff G (1995) Sharks caught in the protective gill nets off Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. 8. The great hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokarran) (Ruppell). S Afr J Mar Sci 15:105–114

    Google Scholar 

  • Cocheret de la Moriniere E, Pollu BJA, Nagelkerken I, Hemminga MA, Huiskes AHL, Van der Velde G (2003) Ontogenetic dietary changes of coral reef fishes in the mangrove-seagrass-reef continuum: stable isotopes and gut content analysis. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 246:279–289

    Google Scholar 

  • Connell SD (1998) Patterns of piscivory by resident predatory reef fish at One Tree Reef, Great Barrier Reef. Mar Freshwat Res 49:25–30

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis TLO (1985) The food of barramundi, Lates calcarifer (Bloch), in coastal and inland waters of Van Dieman Gulf and the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. J Fish Biol 26:669–682

    Google Scholar 

  • DeCrosta MA, Taylor LR Jr, Parrish JD (1984) Age determination, growth, and energetics of three species of carcharhinid sharks in Hawaii. In: Grigg RW, Tanoue KY (eds) Proceedings of the second symposium on resource investigations in the northwest Hawaiian Islands, vol. 2, May 25–27, 1983. University of Hawaii Sea Grant MR-84-01, pp 75–95

  • Denney NH, Jennings S, Reynolds JD (2002) Life-history correlates of maximum population growth rates in marine fishes. Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 269:2229–2237

    Google Scholar 

  • Dodrill JW (1977) A hook and line survey of the sharks found within five hundred meters of shore along Melbourne Beach, Brevard County, Florida. Masters Thesis, Florida Institute of Technology, Florida

  • Dudley SFJ, Cliff G (1993) Sharks caught in the protective gill nets of Natal, South Africa. 7. The blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus) (Valenciennes). S Afr J Mar Sci 13:237–254

    Google Scholar 

  • Dulvy NK, Freckleton RP, Polunin NVC (2004) Coral reef cascades and the indirect effects of predator removal by exploitation. Ecol Lett 7:410–416

    Google Scholar 

  • Essington TE, Beaudreau AH, Wiedenmann J (2006) Fishing through marine food Webs. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 103:3171–3175

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fletcher WJ, Head F (2006) State of the Fisheries Report 2005/06. Department of Fisheries, Western Australia

    Google Scholar 

  • Fletcher WJ, Santoro K (2007) State of the Fisheries Report 2006/07. Department of Fisheries, Western Australia

    Google Scholar 

  • Fletcher WJ, Santoro K (2008) State of the Fisheries Report 2007/08. Department of Fisheries, Western Australia

    Google Scholar 

  • Franks JS, Garber NM, Warren JR (1996) Stomach contents of juvenile cobia, Rachycentron canadum, from the northern Gulf of Mexico. Fish Bull 94:374–380

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedlander AM, DeMartini EE (2002) Contrasts in density, size and biomass of reef fishes between the northwestern and the main Hawaiian Islands: the effects of fishing down apex predators. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 230:253–264

    Google Scholar 

  • Galván-Magana F, Nienhuis HJ, Klimley AP (1989) Seasonal abundance and feeding habits of sharks of the lower Gulf of California, Mexico. Calif Fish Game 75:74–84

    Google Scholar 

  • Goeden GB (1978) A Monograph of the Coral Trout Plectropomus leopardus (Lacepede). Qld Fish Serv Res Bull 1:1–42

    Google Scholar 

  • Graham NAJ, Evans RD, Russ GR (2003) The effects of marine reserve protection on the trophic relationships of reef fishes on the Great Barrier Reef. Environ Conserv 30:200–208

    Google Scholar 

  • Griffiths SP, Kuhnert PM, Fry GF, Manson FJ (2009) Temporal and size-related variation in the diet, consumption rate, and daily ration of mackerel tuna (Euthynnus affinis) in neritic waters of eastern Australia. ICES J Mar Sci 66:720–733

    Google Scholar 

  • Gunn JS, Milward NE (1985) The food, feeding habits and feeding structures of the whiting species Sillago sihama (Forsskal) and Sillago analis Whitley from Townsville, north Queensland, Australia. J Fish Biol 26:411–427

    Google Scholar 

  • Hajisamae S, Yeesin P, Ibrahim S (2006) Feeding ecology of two sillaginid fishes and trophic interrelations with other co-existing species in the southern part of South China Sea. Environ Biol Fishes 76:167–176

    Google Scholar 

  • Harmelin-Vivien ML, Bouchon C (1976) Feeding behaviour of some carnivorous fishes (Serranidae and Scorpaenidae) from Tulear (Madagascar). Mar Biol 37:329–340

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins JP, Roberts CM (2004) Effects of artisanal fishing on Caribbean coral reefs. Conserv Biol 18:215–226

    Google Scholar 

  • Haywood MDE, Heales DS, Kenyon RA, Loneragan NR, Vance DJ (1998) Predation of juvenile tiger prawns in a tropical Australian estuary. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 162:201–214

    Google Scholar 

  • Heithaus MR (2001) The biology of tiger sharks, Galeocerdo cuvier, in Shark Bay, Western Australia: sex ratio, size distribution, diet, and seasonal changes in catch rates. Environ Biol Fishes 61:25–36

    Google Scholar 

  • Hiatt RW, Strasburg DW (1960) Ecological relationships of the fish fauna on coral reefs of the Marshall Islands. Ecol Monogr 30:65–127

    Google Scholar 

  • Hobson ES (1974) Feeding relationships of teleostean fishes on coral reefs in Kona, Hawaii. Fish Bull 72:915–1031

    Google Scholar 

  • Hueter RE (1994) Bycatch and catch-release mortality of small sharks and associated fishes in the estuarine nursery grounds of Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor. Final Report to FDEP

  • Hughes TP, Baird AH, Bellwood DR, Card M, Connolly SR, Folke C, Grosberg R, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Jackson JBC, Kleypas J, Lough JM, Marshall P, Nystrom M, Palumbi SR, Pandolfi JM, Rosen B, Roughgarden J (2003) Climate change, human impacts, and the resilience of coral reefs. Science 301:929–933

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins GP, Milward NE, Hartwick RF (1984) Food of larvae of Spanish mackerels, genus Scomberomorus (Teleostei: Scombridae), in shelf waters of the Great Barrier Reef. Aust J Mar Freshw Res 35:477–482

    Google Scholar 

  • Jennings S, Kaiser MJ, Reynolds JD (2001) Marine fisheries ecology. Blackwell Science, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Jennings S, Greenstreet SPR, Hill L, Piet GJ, Pinnegar JK, Warr KJ (2002) Long-term trends in the trophic structure of the North Sea fish community: evidence from stable-isotope analysis, size-spectra and community metrics. Mar Biol 141:1085–1097

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamukuru AT, Mgaya YD (2004) The food and feeding habits of blackspot snapper, Lutjanus fulviflamma (Pisces: Lutjanidae) in shallow waters of Mafia Island, Tanzania. Afr J Ecol 42:49–58

    Google Scholar 

  • King AW, Pimm SI (1983) Complexity, diversity, and stability: a reconciliation of theoretical and empirical results. Am Nat 122:229–239

    Google Scholar 

  • Kingsford MJ (1992) Spatial and temporal variation in predation on reef fishes by coral trout (Plectropomus leopardus, Serranidae). Coral Reefs 11:193–198

    Google Scholar 

  • Knapp FT (1951) Food habits of the Sergeantfish, Rachycentron canadus. Copeia 1951:101–102

    Google Scholar 

  • Kulbicki M, Bozec Y, Labrosse P, Letourneur Y, Mou-Tham G, Wantiez L (2005) Diet composition of carnivorous fishes from coral reef lagoons of New Caledonia. Aquat Living Resour 18:231–250

    Google Scholar 

  • Lek E (2004) Diets of three carnivorous fish species in marine waters of the west coast of Australia. Honours thesis. Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia

  • Levin SA, Lubchenco J (2008) Resilience, robustness, and marine ecosystem-based management. Bioscience 58:27–32

    Google Scholar 

  • Link JS, Garrison LP (2002) Trophic ecology of Atlantic cod Gadus morhua on the northeast US continental shelf. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 227:109–123

    Google Scholar 

  • Lowe CG, Wetherbee BM, Crow GL, Tester AL (1996) Ontogenetic dietary shifts and feeding behavior of the tiger shark, Galeocerdo cuvier, in Hawaiian waters. Environ Biol Fishes 47:203–211

    Google Scholar 

  • Lyle JM (1987) Observations on the biology of Carcharhinus cautus (Whitley), C. melanopterus (Quoy and Gaimard) and C. fitzroyensis (Whitley) from Northern Australia. Aust J Mar Freshw Res 38:701–710

    Google Scholar 

  • Marais JFK (1984) Feeding ecology of major carnivorous fish from four Eastern Cape estuaries. S Afr J Zool 19:210–223

    Google Scholar 

  • Marnane MJ, Bellwood DR (2002) Diet and nocturnal foraging in cardinalfishes (Apogonidae) at One Tree Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 231:261–268

    Google Scholar 

  • McClanahan TR (2000) Recovery of a coral reef keystone predator, Balistapus undulatus, in East African marine parks. Biol Cons 94:191–198

    Google Scholar 

  • McClanahan TR, Polunin NVC, Done TJ (2002) Ecological states and the resilience of coral reefs. Conserv Ecol 6:18

    Google Scholar 

  • McNaughton SJ (1977) Diversity and stability of ecological communities: a comment on the role of empiricism in ecology. Am Nat 111:515–525

    Google Scholar 

  • Meyer CG, Holland KN, Wetherbee BM, Lowe CG (2001) Diet, resource partitioning and gear vulnerability of Hawaiian jacks captured in fishing tournaments. Fish Res 53:105–113

    Google Scholar 

  • Mumby PJ, Dahlgren CP, Harborne AR, Kappel CV, Micheli F, Brumbaugh DR, Holmes KE, Mendes JM, Broad K, Sanchirico JN, Buch K, Box S, Stoffle RW, Gill AB (2006) Fishing, trophic cascades, and the process of grazing on coral reefs. Science 311:98–101

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mumby PJ, Harborne AR, Williams J, Kappel CV, Brumbaugh DR, Micheli F, Holmes KE, Dahlgren CP, Paris CB, Blackwell P (2007) Trophic cascades facilitates coral recruitment in a marine reserve. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 104:8362–8367

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Myers RA, Worm B (2003) Rapid worldwide depletion of predatory fish communities. Nature 423:280–283

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Myers RA, Mertz G, Fowlow PS (1997) Maximum population growth rates and recovery times for Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua. Fish Bull 95:762–772

    Google Scholar 

  • Myers RA, Baum JK, Shepherd TD, Powers SP, Peterson CH (2007) Cascading effects of the loss of apex predatory sharks from a coastal ocean. Science 315:1846–1850

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Naeem S (1998) Species redundancy and ecosystem reliability. Conserv Biol 12:39–45

    Google Scholar 

  • Nakamura Y, Horimonchi M, Nakai T, Sano M (2003) Food habits of fishes in a seagrass bed on a fringing reef at Iriomote Island, southern Japan. Ichthyol Res 50:15–22

    Google Scholar 

  • Nicholson MD, Jennings S (2004) Testing candidate indicators to support ecosystem-based management: the power of monitoring surveys to detect temporal trends in fish community metrics. ICES J Mar Sci 61:35–42

    Google Scholar 

  • Pace LP, Cole JJ, Carpenter SR, Kitchell JF (1999) Trophic cascades revealed in diverse ecosystems. Trends Ecol Evol 14:483–488

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pauly D, Christensen V, Dalsgaard J, Froese R, Torres F Jr (1998) Fishing down marine food webs. Science 279:860–863

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pauly D, Christensen V, Walters C (2000a) Ecopath, Ecosim, and Ecospace as tools for evaluating ecosystem impact of fisheries. ICES J Mar Sci 57:697–706

    Google Scholar 

  • Pauly D, Froese R, Sa-a PS, Palomares ML, Christensen V, Rius J (2000b) TrophLab manual. ICLARM, Manila

    Google Scholar 

  • Phelan MJ, Gribble NA, Garrett RN (2008) Fishery biology and management of Protonibea diacanthus (Sciaenidae) aggregations in far northern Cape York Peninsula waters. Cont Shelf Res 28:2143–2151

    Google Scholar 

  • Pinnegar JK, Polunin NVC, Francour P, Badalamenti F, Chemello R, Harmelin-Vivien M-L, Hereu B, Milazzo M, Zabala M, D’Anna G, Pipitone C (2000) Trophic cascades in benthic marine ecosystems: lessons for fisheries and protected-area management. Environ Conserv 27:179–200

    Google Scholar 

  • Pinnegar JK, Jennings S, O’Brien CM, Polunin NVC (2002) Long-term changes in the Celtic Sea fish community and fish market price distribution. J Appl Ecol 39:377–390

    Google Scholar 

  • Platell ME, Ang HP, Hesp SA, Potter IC (2007) Comparisons between the influences of habitat, body size and season on the dietary composition of the sparid Acanthopagrus latus in a large marine embayment. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 72:626–634

    Google Scholar 

  • Pratchett MS, Schenk TJ, Baine M, Syms C, Baird AH (2009) Selective coral mortality associated with outbreaks of Acanthaster planci L. in Bootless Bay, Papua New Guinea. Mar Environ Res 67:230–236

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Randall JE (1967) Food habits of reef fishes of the West Indies. Stud Trop Oceanog 5:665–847

    Google Scholar 

  • Randall RH (1973) Distribution of corals after Acanthaster planci (L.) infestation at Tanguisson Point, Guam. Micronesica 3:213–222

    Google Scholar 

  • Randall JE (1992) Review of the biology of the tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier). Aust J Mar Freshw Res 43:21–31

    Google Scholar 

  • Randall JE, Brock VE (1960) Observations on the ecology of epinepheline and lutjanid fishes of the Society Islands, with emphasis on food habits. Trans Am Fish Soc 89:9–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Randall JE, Head SM, Sanders APL (1978) Food habits of the giant humphead wrasse, Cheilinus undulates (Labridae). Environ Biol Fishes 3:235–238

    Google Scholar 

  • Rao KVS (1981) Food and feeding of lizard fishes (Saurida spp.) from north western part of Bay of Bengal. Indian J Fish 28:47–64

    Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds JD, Dulvy NK, Goodwin NB, Hutchings JA (2005) Biology of extinction risk in marine fishes. Proc R Soc Lond, B Biol Sci 272:2337–2344

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowan R, Knowlton N, Baker A, Jara J (1997) Landscape ecology of algal symbionts creates variation in episodes of coral bleaching. Nature 388:265–269

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Russ GR (1991) Coral reef fisheries: effects and yields. In: Sale PF (ed) The ecology of fishes on coral reefs. Academic, San Diego, pp 601–635

    Google Scholar 

  • Salini JP, Blaber SJM, Brewer DT (1990) Diets of piscivorous fishes in a tropical Australian estuary, with special reference to predation on penaeid prawns. Mar Biol 105:363–374

    Google Scholar 

  • Salini JP, Blaber SJM, Brewer DT (1992) Diets of sharks from estuaries and adjacent waters of the north-eastern Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. Aust J Mar Freshw Res 43:87–96

    Google Scholar 

  • Salini JP, Blaber SJM, Brewer DT (1994) Diets of trawled predatory fish of the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia, with particular reference to predation on prawns. Aust J Mar Freshw Res 45:397–411

    Google Scholar 

  • Salini JP, Brewer DT, Blaber SJM (1998) Dietary studies on the predatory fishes of the Norman River Estuary, with particular reference to penaeid prawns. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 46:837–847

    Google Scholar 

  • Sano M, Shimizu M, Nose Y (1984) Food habits of teleostean reef fishes in Okinawa Island, southern Japan. Univ Museum, Univ Tokyo Bull 25

  • Shpigel M, Fishelson L (1989) Food habits and prey selection of three species of groupers from the genus Cephalopholis (Serranidae: Teleostei). Environ Biol Fishes 24:67–73

    Google Scholar 

  • Shurin JB, Borer ET, Seabloom EW, Anderson K, Blanchette CA, Broitman B, Cooper SD, Halpern BS (2002) A cross-ecosystem comparison of the strength of trophic cascades. Ecol Lett 5:785–791

    Google Scholar 

  • Simpfendorfer C (1992) Biology of tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) caught by the Queensland shark meshing program off Townsville, Australia. Aust J Mar Freshw Res 43:21–31

    Google Scholar 

  • Simpfendorfer CA, Milward NE (1993) Utilisation of a tropical bay as a nursery area by sharks of the families Carcharhinidae and Sphyrnidae. Environ Biol Fishes 37:337–345

    Google Scholar 

  • Simpfendorfer CA, Goodreid AB, McAuley RB (2001) Size, sex and geographic variation in the diet of the tiger shark, Galeocerdo cuvier, from Western Australian waters. Environ Biol Fishes 61:37–46

    Google Scholar 

  • St John J (1999) Ontogenetic changes in the diet of the coral reef grouper Plectropomus leopardus (Serranidae): patterns in taxa, size and habitat of prey. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 180:233–246

    Google Scholar 

  • St John J, Russ GR, Brown IW, Squire LC (2001) The diet of the large coral reef serranid Plectropomus leopardus in two fishing zones on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Fish Bull 99:180–192

    Google Scholar 

  • Stanger JD (1974) A study of the growth, feeding, and reproduction of the threadfin, Eleutheronema tetradactylum (Shaw). Honours thesis. James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland

  • Stevens JD (1984a) Biological observations on sharks caught by sport fishermen off New South Wales. Aust J Mar Freshw Res 35:573–590

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevens JD (1984b) Life-history and ecology of sharks at Aldabra Atoll, Indian Ocean. Proc R Soc Lond, B Biol Sci 222:79–106

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevens JD, Lyle JM (1989) Biology of three hammerhead sharks (Eusphyra blochii, Sphyrna mokarran, and S. lewini), from northern Australia. Aust J Mar Freshw Res 40:129–146

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevens JD, McLoughlin KJ (1991) Distribution, size, and sex composition, reproductive biology and diet of sharks from northern Australia. Aust J Mar Freshw Res 40:129–146

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevens JD, Wiley PD (1986) Biology of two commercially important carcharhinid sharks from northern Australia. Aust J Mar Freshw Res 37:671–688

    Google Scholar 

  • Sumner NR, Williamson PC, Malseed BE (2002) A 12-month survey of recreational fishing in the Gascoyne bioregion of Western Australia during 1998–99. Fisheries Research Report No. 139, Department of Fisheries, Western Australia

  • Sumpton W, Greenwood J (1990) Pre- and post-flood feeding ecology of four species of juvenile fish from the Logan-Albert estuarine system, Moreton Bay, Queensland. Aust J Mar Freshw Res 41:795–806

    Google Scholar 

  • Sweatman HPA (1993) Tropical snapper (Lutjanidae) that is Piscivorous at settlement. Copeia 1993:1137–1139

    Google Scholar 

  • Sweatman HPA (2008) No-take reserves protect coral reefs from predatory starfish. Curr Biol 18:598–599

    Google Scholar 

  • Tavares RJ (1997) Alimentación de Carcharhinus limbatus (Valenciennes, 1839) (Pisces: Carcharhinidae) y datos sobre la dieta de otras especies de tiburones presentes en el Parque Nacional Archipiélago Los Roques. Trabajo Espacial de Grado, Universidad de Lisboa

  • Taylor LR, Naftel G (1978) Preliminary investigations of shark predation on the Hawaiian monk seal at Pearl and Hermes Reef and French Frigate Shoals. U.S. Marine Mammal Commission Report No. MMC-77/07

  • Tilman D, Wedin D, Knops J (1996) Productivity and sustainability influenced by biodiversity in grasslands. Nature 367:363–365

    Google Scholar 

  • Walker MH (1978) Food and feeding habits of Lethrinus chrysostomus Richardson (Pisces: Perciformes) and other Lethrinidae on the Great Barrier Reef. Aust J Mar Freshw Res 29:623–630

    Google Scholar 

  • Wass RC (1971) A comparative study of the life history, distribution and ecology of the sandbar shark and the gray reef shark in Hawaii. Ph.D. Thesis. Univiversity of Hawaii, Honolulu

  • Watson DL, Harvey ES, Kendrick GA, Nardi K, Anderson MJ (2007) Protection from fishing alters the species composition of fish assemblages in a temperate-tropical transition zone. Mar Biol 152:1197–1206

    Google Scholar 

  • Webster MS (2003) Temporal density dependence and population regulation in a marine fish. Ecology 84:623–628

    Google Scholar 

  • Westera MB (2003) The effect of recreational fishing on targeted fishes and trophic structure, in a coral reef marine park. PhD thesis, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia

  • Wetherbee BM, Crow GL, Lowe CG (1997) Distribution, reproduction and diet of the gray reef shark Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos in Hawaii. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 151:181–189

    Google Scholar 

  • Williamson PC, Sumner NR, Malseed BE (2006) A 12-month survey of recreational fishing in the Pilbara region of Western Australia during 1999–2000. Fisheries Research Report No. 153, Department of Fisheries, Western Australia

  • Willis TJ, Anderson MJ (2003) Structure of cryptic reef fish assemblages: relationships with habitat characteristics and predator density. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 257:209–221

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson SK, Fisher R, Pratchett MS, Graham NAJ, Dulvy NK, Turner RA, Cakacaka A, Polunin NVC, Rushton SP (2008) Exploitation and habitat degradation as agents of change within coral reef fish communities. Glob Chang Biol 14:2796–2809

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright A, Dalzell PJ, Richards AH (1986) Some aspects of the biology of the red bass. Lutjanus bohar (Forsskal), from the Tigak Islands, Papua New Guinea. J Fish Biol 28:533–544

    Google Scholar 

  • Yamashita Y, Mochizuki K, Piamthipmanus M (1991) Gut contents analysis of fishes sampled from the Gulf of Thailand. Bull Japan Soc Fish Oceanogr 55:197–207

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to K Sainsbury, C Bulman and E Cortes for providing unpublished details of fish diets. Comments from two anonymous reviewers and discussions with C Simpson and T Holmes greatly improved early versions of the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shaun K. Wilson.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Farmer, B.M., Wilson, S.K. Diet of finfish targeted by fishers in North West Australia and the implications for trophic cascades. Environ Biol Fish 91, 71–85 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-010-9761-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-010-9761-3

Keywords

Navigation