A STUDY ON THE DIET OF PAMPUS ARGENTUS. IN THE MAJOR FISHING GROUNDS OF HORMOZGAN PROVINCE

Silver pomfert (Pampus argenteus) belongs to Stromatidae family and is considered an important commercial fish found in some major fishing grounds of the Hormozgan province waters. The stomach contents of 853 collected specimens were investigated from June 2001 to November 2002. The change in stomach content relative to the length classes and gonad stages, vacuity index, gastro-somatic index and frequency percentage of different food items were also studied. The diet consisted of a broad spectrum of food types, but crustaceans (especiallycopepods) were dominant. The next major food group was Bacillarlphyceae (16 genera), followed by Cyanophyceae (6 genera) and mollusks. Other major groups were Nematodeworms, Foraminifera and Dinophyceae (6 genera). Copepods were the primary and main food items with the Bacillarlophyceae being the second most important prey. Therelationship between stomach contents and maturity stages in females showed that the food take up increased during adult stages and then decreased during spawning periods. The vacuityindex (CV) was calculated as 14.49, indicating the voracity of Pampus argenteus. The gastro-somaticindex was estimated to be 4.5 based on monthly and maximum values during February.