Influence of offshore gas infrastructure on diet and trophic structure of predatory fish

Updated: 2026-05-26

The consequences of infrastructure removal for associated marine life have become important considerations for decisions surrounding decommissioning. A total of 189 predatory fish from 16 species were captured using fish traps. A visual assessment of diet indicated that crustaceans and fish were the most common prey groups. Results from eDNA metabarcoding of a focal set of species confirmed these results and provided additional taxonomic resolution of prey items. Furthermore, these focal species also showed differences in diets between pipeline and reference sites, with all species having equal to or greater proportions of crabs on pipelines compared to reference sites.