Cod end feeding by the euphausiid Meganyctiphanes norvegica

Daytime surface swarms of Meganyctiphanes norvegica in the Bay of Fundy were sampled by hand-held dip nets and by plankton nets. A comparison between the food baskets of the animals from samples obtained by the two collection methods showed that those from plankton nets contained many items whereas those from dip nets rarely contained anything. Samples from towed-nets also had significantly more animals with fuller stomachs than those obtained by dip nets at approximately the same time. It is concluded that the observed differences are due to feeding by the euphausiids in the cod end of plankton nets.