Does food quality affect the conditions of the sand and common gobies from the Gulf of Gdańsk, Poland?

Sand and common goby specimens were collected from the costal waters in the vicinity of Sopot and Chałupy (Gulf of Gdańsk) from August to October. The relationship between the food consumed and the fish condition was investigated for both species using the Fulton and Clark factors, HSI, feeding intensity, and the index of relative importance. The results indicated that the mean values of the common goby condition factors (20 – 29 mm) were higher in September, the last month of reproduction. The sand gobies (30 – 39 mm) were characterized by lower condition factor values in September, one month after spawning. It was concluded that there is a direct link between diet composition and goby condition during spawning and in the months following it.