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Predation or competition for similar food resources by silver hake (Merluccius bilinearis) has been reported to be associated with the decline in certain gadoid stocks off the northeastern USA. Speculation that the same mechanism may be active on the Scotian Shelf was investigated. The diet of silver hake found off New England and the Scotian Shelf were similar, however, the role of other gadoids such as haddock and cod in the diet of Scotian Shelf silver hake was not as important as that assumed for the New England area. Cannibalism was observed and believed to play a significant role in the regulation of this species. Silver hake on the Scotian Shelf were opportunistic predators preying heavily on crustaceans and fish. The diet was found to be predominantly invertebrates for ages 1-3, while after age 3 was largely fish. There appeared to be little differences in diet composition between males and females. Overall, the diet changed from one largely composed of fish in the spring and autumn to a mixed diet of fish, crustaceans and molluscs during the summer. There were differences in the diet composition at age during the three seasons studied, however, these changes seemed to reflect more the diet of younger versus older fish.

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