The objective of the present study was to analyze the diet
composition of the round sardinella, Sardinella aurita in the
Egyptian Mediterranean off Port Said coast. Gut contents from 100
stomachs/season were examined. The gut fullness index was
estimated and the percentage of empty stomachs was expressed as
the vacuity index (VI). Diet composition was described using
frequency of occurrence (%F) and numerical methods (%N). The
diet of S. aurita consisted predominantly of zooplankton (50.1%)
followed by phytoplankton (34%) and relatively small quantities of
detritus (15.9%). The major prey items were copepodes
supplemented by diatoms followed by Protozoa and Chlorophyceae.
The type and abundance of ingested prey were related to the
plankton composition in the environment in order to determine
prey-type selectivity. Diet composition of stomach proved that
Sardinella aurita has a flexible adaptive strategy appeared
obviously from adjusting its diet feeding habits to its specific
requirements.