Energy Content of Antarctic Mesopelagic Fishes: Implications for the Marine Food Web

For a better understanding of the role of mesopelagic fish in the Southern Ocean food web, the energy and water content of Bathylagus antarcticus, Electrona antarctica and Gymnoscopelus braueri from the Lazarev Sea were investigated. Mean dry weight energy content of B. antarcticus (20.4 kJ g−1) was significantly lower than in E. antarctica and G. braueri (both 29.4 kJ g−1). In E. antarctica, an increase of dry weight energy density with age was...