Atlantic coast feeding habits of striped bass: a synthesis supporting a coast‐wide understanding of trophic biology

Abstract

The recent increase in the Atlantic coast population of striped bass, Morone saxatilis (Walbaum), prompted managers to re‐evaluate their predatory impact. Published and unpublished diet data for striped bass on the Atlantic Coast of North America were examined for geographical, ontogenetic and seasonal patterns in the diet and to assess diet for this species. Diets of young‐of‐the‐year (YOY) striped bass were similar across the Upper Atlantic (UPATL), Chesapeake and Delaware Bays (CBDEL) and North Carolina (NCARO) areas of the Atlantic coast where either fish or mysid shrimp dominate the diet. For age one and older striped bass, cluster analysis partitioned diets based on predominance of either Atlantic menhaden, Brevoortia tyrannus (Latrobe), characteristic of striped bass from the CBDEL and NCARO regions, or non‐menhaden fishes or invertebrates, characteristic of fish from the UPATL, in the diet. The predominance of invertebrates in the diets of striped bass in the UPATL region can be attributed to the absence of several important species groups in Northern waters, particularly sciaenid fishes, and to the sporadic occurrences of Atlantic menhaden to UPATL waters. In all regions, across most seasons and in most size classes of striped bass, the clupeiod fishes; menhaden, anchovies (Anchoa spp.) and river herrings (Alosa spp,) and Atlantic herring, Clupea harengus L., dominated the diets of striped bass above the first year of life.

Habitat and diet overlap of 4 piscivorous fishes: variation on the inner continental shelf off New Jersey

“…The diets of Summer Flounder, Weakfi sh, Bluefi sh, and Striped Bass on the inner continental shelf of New Jersey during summer varied month to monthan observation that could not be obtained from previous studies conducted in the region across a greater portion of the shelf region over multiple years (Garrison and Link, 2000b;Link et al, 2002;Walter et al, 2003;Buckel et al, 2009;Smith and Link, 2010). The fi ner scale in our study accounts for the slightly different patterns of similarity among Summer Flounder, Weakfi sh, Bluefi sh, and Striped Bass diets in comparison with results that had been reported previously for the shelf ecosystem of the northeastern United States (Garrison and Link, 2000b).…”

“…This result supports the interpretation of gradual ontogenetic changes in diet and some similarity between adjacent size classes. Use of a single size group for Striped Bass because of limited sample sizes prevented the exploration of ontogenetic shifts for this species, which were signifi cant in one study (Smith and Link, 2010) but not another (Walter et al, 2003). Regardless of potential ontogenetic differences, their extensive use of estuaries in New Jersey and throughout their range during many seasons (Able and Fahay, 2010) probably also contributes to the limited co-occurrence of this species with the other species size classes studied.…”

“…Another prey species, Atlantic Menhaden, has received increased attention because of its historical importance as the main prey of Striped Bass at other locations during other times (Nelson et al, 2003;Walter et al, 2003;Overton et al, 2008). Uphoff (2003) suggested that a shortage of Atlantic Menhaden as prey for Striped Bass in the Chesapeake Bay may have reduced the nutritional condition of those Striped Bass in the 1990s, making them susceptible to disease.…”

“…Stomachs were re- Table 1 Summary of samples collected in 2005 off the coast of New Jersey for this study of habitat and diet overlap of 4 piscivorous fi shes. Collection month and sampling effort (numbers of tows in parentheses), numbers of fi sh collected, stomachs analyzed in the laboratory, and stomachs with prey in the gut for small, medium, and large Summer Flounder (Paralichthys dentatus), PdS, PdM, PdL; small, medium, and (Able and Fahay, 2010), diet composition within species (Garrison and Link, 2000b), and interactions across species (Buckel and McKown, 2002) (Walter et al, 2003), and the relatively large sizes of our specimens (422-920 mm FL).…”

Seasonal Use of a New England Estuary by Foraging Contingents of Migratory Striped Bass

“…In many estuaries, striped bass concentrate near shorelines (Ng et al 2007), structures (Haeseker et al 1996), creek mouths (Waldman et al 1990;Tupper and Able 2000), and other complex habitats (confluences, mussel beds; Harding and Mann 2003). Striped bass are generalist feeders that consume forage fish and invertebrates (Hartman and Brandt 1995;Ferry 2003;Nelson et al 2003;Walter et al 2003). Thus, within-estuary distribution may be related to temperature, habitat, or prey.…”