Abstract The impact of human activity is evident in the depletion of fish populations worldwide. This being the case, there is an urgent need to discover the true biodiversity of the world before the loss rate exceeds its limits. Because the feeding ecology of a species is thoroughly linked to its population dynamics, knowledge of the feeding ecology contributes to the understanding of such subjects as resource partitioning, habitat preferences, prey selection, predation, evolution, competition and energy transfer within and between ecosystems.Suchecological information is of great value when developing conservation strategies and is, therefore, a key element in the protection of