Abstract

By mans of the fisheries activity records and the information of tralws sampling carried out in surveys of common hake the batimetric and latitudinal distributions of cardinal fish (Epigonus crassicaudus) in the Chilean coast were studied. Aditionality, information on feeding habits of cardinal fish through analysis of the gastric content on samples collected in the central zone from Chile are reported. According to fishery data the cardinal fish would concentrate their distribution between Valparaíso (33°04'S) and Puerto Montt (41°46'S). However, the acustic surveys register positive captures from north limit of their operation (29°00'S). Deep distribution showed coincidence from the two sources information so much in the throw positives frequency like in capture, indicating that the resource would concentrate their distributon in depth range of 300 to 400 m. Regarding the feeding, although some bentics components were registered in their diet, the preys more consumed by E. crassicaudus were planctonics organisms represented by eufausids and stomatopods. The result of present study suggest that E. crassicaudus would present migratory habits from the pelagics to the bentics environmental determined by the offer of food, concentrating their distribution on the talud and continental shelf. A wider latitudinal distribution acquaintance through the fisheries activity data was also confirmed.