Chemical composition of alimentary canal contents of mullet (Teleostei: Mugilidae) caught in the Swartkops Estuary near Port Elizabeth,South Africa

Composition of alimentary canal contents (protein, ash, moisture and carbohydrate by difference) of four mullet species from the Swartkops Estuary, were determined monthly over a 13-month period. It was found that Liza tricuspidens consumed the most nutritious (highest protein and carbohydrate and lowest ash) material followed by Mugil cephalus, Liza richardsoni and lastly Liza dumerili, the most abundant mullet species in the estuary. It was also found that smaller specimens, irrespective of species, consumed the most nutritious food material. An attempt was made to relate chemical composition to the particular food and substrate preference of each species. Correlation coefficients between moisture and protein (positive), moisture and ash (negative) and ash and protein (negative) enabled the calculation of regression equations by which protein and ash can be determined from a relatively simple moisture determination.