Diet Composition of Twaite Shad, <i>Alosa fallax</i> (Lacépède, 1803), During the Spawning Migration to the Curonian Lagoon (Lithuania)
2025
Edoardo Nobili | Harry Gorfine | Eglė Jakubavičiūtė | Žilvinas Pūtys | Linas Ložys
The nutritional needs of anadromous fish species must be met for successful annual spawning migration and reproduction. Despite its widespread distribution throughout Europe, little is known about the composition of the twaite shad, <i>Alosa fallax</i>, diet in freshwater ecosystems. To redress this, we studied the composition of stomach contents extracted from 287 <i>A. fallax</i> sampled during their spawning migration from the Baltic Sea to the Curonian Lagoon (Lithuania). We found that the diet comprised 32 types of prey, with Insecta (unknown Order), Chironomidae and Daphniidae being the most prevalent taxonomic categories consumed. Our analyses revealed significant differences in the abundance of prey categories (Chironomidae, Insecta—unknown order, and Mysidae) among several size groups of <i>A. fallax</i>, associated with stage of maturity inferred from body length. Despite this being a spawning aggregation, juveniles were also present among the <i>A. fallax</i> we collected. The results imply that feeding behavior and morphometry may be responsible for the differences observed, and further investigation of this topic is warranted.
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