Fine‐scale diet data reveal spatial variation in predator–prey interactions in Norwegian fjords

Abstract

Predator–prey interactions in time and space determine stock productivity, making them an important consideration when managing marine resources, rebuilding stocks or considering reopening a fishery. We analysed fine‐scale diet data from surveys conducted in 2009–2010 and 2018–2019 in three fjords in northern Norway with geostatistical models investigating how predation varied in space, time and between predator species. Our focus prey species was northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis), valuable both as a commercial resource and a major food source for other important species like Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Diet composition of fish predators differed clearly between fjords. While predator species and size were good predictors of shrimp predation, the relationships with bathymetry, prey density and geospatial variables were complex. Our study indicates that predation of forage species, such as shrimp, varies spatially in heterogenous fjord ecosystems. Shrimp consumption was not highest in the fjord with highest predator density, indicating a higher dependency of cod on shrimp in specific areas. Realized predation is a complex combination of predator and prey densities and predator ecology that differed in each of the three fjords. Synthesis and applications. Ignoring spatial variations in predator–prey interactions may lead to an inaccurate perception of stock productivity, suboptimal management and possibly unsustainable management targets. We recommend spatially explicit assessment and management for fish stocks where predator–prey interactions vary substantially in space, such as fjords and reefs.