Abstract

The instantaneous gastric evacuation rate for Trachurus symmetricus murphyi of northern Chile, was experimentally determined. The specimens were transported in bins from the fishing area to port of Iquique, aboard a purse-seine vessel. Later, they were placed separately in cages inside a fishpond. Fish specimens (16.5 to 24 cm FL) were then starved for three days before they were fed with previously weighed pieces of anchovy (Engraulis ringens). Fish were subsequently sacrificed at regular periods. The data of stomach contents were fitted to several models of evacuation rate. The best fit was obtained with the Gompertz model, with an instantaneous gastric evacuation coefficient of 0.087 h-1, which represents an initially fast digestion process.