Trophic links and riverine effects on food webs of pelagic fish of the north-western Black Sea

Abstract

Improving the knowledge of trophodynamics in coastal marine ecosystems is important for fisheries management. The present study was designed to assess the influence of Danube River inputs on Romanian coastal marine food webs of the European sprat (Sprattus sprattus), the European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicholus) and the horse mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus). Gut content analyses coupled with carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses described food web variations with fish size, season and distance from the Danube delta. Sprats fed on zooplankton, horse mackerel fed on polychaetes and small fish, and anchovies had an intermediate diet. The δ13C and δ15N ratios and mean trophic levels increased from sprats to anchovies and then to horse mackerel. Season strongly influenced the δ15N values of the three fishes, with lower values in spring than in autumn linked to higher Danube inputs into coastal waters in spring during the flooding period. Fish condition was related to diet and environmental factors, with higher conditions recorded in the north area in autumn and in the south area in spring. Danube River inputs influenced the diet, stable isotope ratios and condition of the main commercial pelagic migratory fishes of the north-western Black Sea.