Abstract:Based on 216 samples (120 silver pomfret samples, 51 prey organism samples, and 45 fish samples) obtained from three bottom trawl surveys in the Bohai Sea from September to November 2017, the stable isotope ratios of samples were determined by carbon and nitrogen stable isotope techniques. The contribution ratios of the various types of diet were calculated, and the characteristics of feeding habit, trophic level, niche breadth, and niche overlap with fork length were evaluated. The accuracy of the study in terms of the feeding ecology of silver pomfret based on the stable isotope method was confirmed by a comparative study. The results showed that:(1) the δ13C value of silver pomfret was -19.50‰ to -14.85‰, and the average value was -17.18‰, which was not significantly correlated with fork length (N value of silver pomfret was 11.55‰-14.77‰, with an average of 13.30‰. The correlation with the fork length was highly significant, whereas the correlation intensity was weak (<0.01). (2) Stable isotope analysis (Stable Isotope Analysis in R) based on Bayesian mixing models was applied to calculate the contribution rate of each prey item; the results indicated that the silver pomfret is an omnivore, and its main prey is benthic shrimps, with a contribution rate of 11.52%-57.49% and the average contribution rate was 35.03%. This was followed by , with a contribution rate of 13.52%-42.82% and an average contribution rate of 27.87%. The contribution of other prey items was from squid , phytoplankton, and zooplankton, and their rates were 6.41%-42.57%, 0-21.33%, and 0-16.21%, respectively. The average contribution rate was 23.29%, 8.08%, and 5.77%. (3) There was some change in the food composition of silver pomfret as the length of the fork increased. The nutrient niche breadth of sliver pomfret tended to increase and then decrease with the change in fork length, and the niche breadth of the 90-109 mm fork length group was maximal. However, the nutrient niches of each fork group were similar, and there were more overlaps in the niche. (4) The trophic level of Bohai silver pomfret was 2.84-3.79; the average trophic level was 3.35, and the trophic level increased with increasing fork length. (5) The MDS plot showed that the similarity of the δ13C and δ15N value of silver pomfret and red nose anchovy 15N value of gizzard-shad C value and δ15N value of scaled sardine and gobiid fishes were similar. In this study, comprehensive information on the trophic level and feeding habits of silver pomfret was obtained from stable isotope analysis, which was significant for building an end-to-end food web and for the study of its dynamics in the Bohai sea.