Table 2. Prey items of subadult and adult grey seal females indicated by gut morphological i.e. hard part (HP, mass %) and DNA (sequence %) prey proportions, and the frequencies of occurrence (Freq %).
| Prey items | Subadult females | Adult females | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP (%) n = 26 |
DNA (%) n = 25 |
HP (%) n = 15 |
DNA (%) n = 14 |
|||||
| Prop | Freq | Prop | Freq | Prop | Freq | Prop | Freq | |
| Baltic herring Clupea harengus | 54.0 | 80.8 | 38.3 | 76.0 | 42.3 | 80.0 | 59.3 | 85.7 |
| Eelpout Zoarces viviparus | 9.1 | 15.4 | 15.4 | 28.0 | 23.2 | 40.0 | 20.0 | 50.0 |
| Sprat Sprattus sprattus | 11.4 | 23.1 | 12.6 | 48.0 | ND | ND | 1.1 | 21.4 |
| Three-spined stickleback G. aculeatus | 3.8 | 3.8 | 11.0 | 20.0 | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| Cod Gadus morhua | 3.8 | 3.8 | 5.7 | 20.0 | 1.0 | 6.7 | 3.2 | 7.1 |
| Common whitefish C. lavaretus | 0.4 | 3.8 | ND | ND | 12.8 | 26.7 | ND | ND |
| Perch Perca fluviatilis | 4.1 | 7.7 | 4.4 | 24.0 | 2.3 | 13.3 | 1.1 | 7.1 |
| Black goby Gobius niger | ND | ND | ND | ND | 1.9 | 6.7 | 2.8 | 14.3 |
| Sand goby Pomatoschistus minutus | ND | ND | 4.1 | 16.0 | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| Atlantic salmon Salmo salar | ND | ND | 3.3 | 4.0 | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| Roach Rutilus rutilus | ND | ND | 1.3 | 4.0 | ND | ND | 1.6 | 14.3 |
| Vendace Coregonus albula | ND | ND | ND | ND | 1.1 | 6.7 | ND | ND |
| Bream Abramis brama | ND | ND | 0.4 | 12.0 | ND | ND | 0.3 | 21.4 |
| Ruffe Gymnocephalus cernua | < 0.1 | 3.8 | 0.6 | 4.0 | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| Pikeperch Sander lucioperca | ND | ND | 0.2 | 8.0 | ND | ND | < 0.1 | 14.3 |
| Smelt Osmerus eperlanus | < 0.1 | 3.8 | 0.1 | 4.0 | < 0.1 | 6.7 | ND | ND |
| European flounder Platichthys flesus | 0.1 | 3.8 | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| Rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss | ND | ND | <0.1 | 4.0 | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| Isopod crustacean Saduria entomon | < 0.1 | 3.8 | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| Clupeids Clupeidae | 4.9 | 15.4 | ND | ND | 6.7 | 6.7 | ND | ND |
| Percids Percidae | 7.2 | 7.7 | ND | ND | 0.8 | 6.7 | ND | ND |
| Whitefishes Coregonus spp | ND | ND | 0.3 | 16.0 | ND | ND | 7.6 | 35.7 |
| Salmonids Salmo spp | ND | ND | ND | ND | 5.9 | 6.7 | ND | ND |
| Sculpins Cottidae | ND | ND | 0.8 | 4.0 | ND | ND | 2.7 | 14.3 |
| Gobies Gobiidae | 0.6 | 15.4 | ND | ND | 2.1 | 13.3 | ND | ND |
| European flounder or European plaice Plat. flesus or Pleur. platessa | ND | ND | 1.1 | 4.0 | ND | ND | < 0.1 | 7.1 |
| Sand lances Ammodytidae | 0.5 | 7.7 | 0.3 | 8.0 | ND | ND | ND | ND |
The items identified at species levels were listed first (in the order of decreasing average proportion in the subadult and adult diets, indicated by the HP and DNA analyses) and those identified at species group levels were listed after the species. The number of subadult and adult females from which both HP and DNA were recorded was 23 and 13, respectively.