Estuarine Food of Dolly Varden at Chignik, Alaska

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Abstract
An examination of the stomachs of 282 Dolly Varden taken from a western Alaska estuary disclosed the variety of food eaten and the extent of predatlon on sockeye salmon smolts. Only one juvenile sockeye salmon was found in the stomachs. Sand lance, sculpin, capelln, greenllng, and crustaceans constituted the most important food items. The Dolly Varden diet consisted mainly of crustaceans in the inner estuarine (low salinity) area and both fish and crustaceans in the outer estuarine (high salinity) area. Herring were not eaten although they were abundant. Most Dolly Varden were apparently selective feeders; there was usually one type of food in an individual stomach. The motllity of forage species as well as the relative availability of certain food organisms possibly determined food selection.

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