The data is used in a comparative analysis of the diet of one of the globally most numerous myctophids, the Glacier lantern fish Benthosema glaciale, across four deep basins of the North Atlantic. B. glaciale is a small fish species that contribute to carbon flux to the deep basins of the open ocean, and is thus considered an important element of the biological carbon pump (BCP). Data submitted is length and weight of fish analyzed for stomach content. Sampling were undertaken onboard the RV G.O. Sars during a six week long transatlantic scientific survey from Bergen (Norway) to Nuuk (Greenland) and back to Bergen in May and June 2013. The Harstad trawl is a graded (variable mesh size), small mid-water trawl with 20 m vertical opening and 15 m wing spread (Godø et al., 1993). The Macroplankton trawl on the other hand is a light pelagic trawl that has a nominal 6x6 m trawl opening and mesh size of 3 mm square light opening (8 mm stretched, knot to knot) from the trawl mouth along the entire trawl length to the cod-end (Hassel et al., 2017; Klevjer et al., 2020).

Maturity:Immature (1): The gonads are small. No visible egg/milk.Maturing (2): The gonads are larger in volume. Visible egg/milk, but not running.Spawning (3): Running gonads. A light press on the abdomen causes egg/milk to come out.Spent/Resting (4): The gonads are small, slack and bloody. Regeneration begins, gonads are slightly larger and fuller than in immature stage. No visible egg/milk.Unknown (5): Only used if there is uncertainty between stages immature and spent/resting.Stomach fullness:Empty (1): The stomach is completely empty, perhaps except for a little water.Very little content (2): So small that the stomach preferably needs to be opened to confirm it is not empty.Some content (3): It appears clearly from the outside that the stomach is not empty.Full (4): The stomach is full, but not bursting.Bursting (5): The abdomen is clearly distended and tight. The content is visible through the lining.Quality of biological analysis: "Low" was also used to indicate that these fish were considered part of a training set not used in further analysis.Funding and ship time were also received from the Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway.