Prey Selection by Gannets at Breeding Colonies in Norway

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Abstract
The parental food loads of Gannets were sampled at two Norwegian colonies during 3 yr. Saithe and herring were the most common prey. Saithe were slightly more common, but owing to larger size and greater energy density, herring made up 57% of total biomass and 68% of the total energy harvested. These findings suggest that saithe were more available to Gannets than were herring. Parental food loads were lighter and contained less energy than those in Canada and Scotland [UK] and indicate that parental regimens probably vary oceanographically. Prey size was inversely related to the number of items in a parental load, suggesting that Gannets, like other multiple prey loaders, may forage until a certain weight load threshold is reached.