Forage fish are an important link between lower (zooplankton) and higher (carnivorous fish,
birds and mammals) trophic levels. Despite a closure of the industrial fishery for forage fish
in the Firth of Forth area, off the Scottish east coast, since 2000, recruitment has been
variable. As part of a study investigating forage fish population dynamics and recruitment
variability, the distribution of zooplankton in the area was studied in June 2010. The
presence of the most abundant zooplankton species and those most prevalent in the
stomachs of forage fish were presented, and compared to the distribution of those fish
species. The results showed species- and size-specific selective feeding by forage fish, and
both overlaps and differences between the distribution of those fish and their zooplankton
prey.