Stock–recruitment (S–R) relationships are the centrepiece of fisheries management aimed at achieving maximum sustainable yield. Here we consider the possibility that the density dependence evident in S–R relations is controlled by feeding interactions alone. We simulate a food-web model with dynamic representations of intra- and inter-specific size structure and a linear relation between food intake and hatchling production of adults. Population sizes of individual stocks are modified by imposing additional mortality. The predominant functional forms and the steepness of resulting S–R relationships agree well with observations. We conclude that recruitment is plausibly regulated by feeding interactions alone.