Assessment of the size distribution of the big-scale sand smelt (Atherina boyeri Risso, 1810) in the diet of the Caspian seal (Pusa caspica Gmellin, 1788) using fish otoliths from fecal samples.

Big-scale sand smelt (Atherina boyeri) is an euryhaline pelagic schooling fish found throughout the Caspian Sea. A specialized fishery does not target this species, and its body length can reach up to 13 cm. A.