Diet Composition and Feeding Habits of Common Fishes in Long Island Bays, New York

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

“…As with our study, (Sagarese et al, 2011), and large proportions to the diets of Weakfi sh, Bluefi sh, and Sandbar Shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus) in Delaware Bay (Taylor, 1987), underscoring the importance of Atlantic Menhaden as prey in estuaries during summer. Additionally, we acknowledge that the degree of consumption and overlap in diets may vary with the population size of the predators.…”

“…Therefore, our fi ndings from the inner shelf should be viewed with this qualifi cation in mind. As an example, the diets described here for inshore waters revealed differences in diets, compared with diets observed in studies carried out within estuaries (Gartland et al, 2006;Latour et al, 2008;Sagarese et al, 2011).…”

“…For example, Striped Bass are known to use estuaries in the region during the summer (Tupper and Able, 2000;Ferry and Mather, 2012). The same is true for Bluefi sh Sagarese et al, 2011), Summer Flounder (Sackett et al, 2007;Sagarese et al, 2011), and Weakfi sh (Taylor, 1987;Turnure 2010). Therefore, our fi ndings from the inner shelf should be viewed with this qualifi cation in mind.…”

“…In October, large Bluefi sh and Summer Flounder fed extensively on Weakfi sh (25.2-26.7%), with medium and small Summer Flounder and Striped Bass also consuming Weakfi sh but in lesser proportions. Similarly, in Long Island bays, YOY Bluefi sh and Summer Flounder consumed Weakfi sh (7.5% and 3.0% by weight, respectively); however, data were reported across sizes and seasons (spring, summer, and fall), and Weakfi sh diet was not investigated (Sagarese et al, 2011). Predation on juvenile Weakfi sh has also been observed in Delaware Bay by adult Weakfi sh and Summer Flounder (Taylor, 1987).…”

Feeding habits and dietary overlap of age-0 winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) and summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus) in southern New England tidal rivers

“…The IRI index was selected as a descriptor of the diet of winter and summer flounder in this study for 2 principal reasons: 1) to minimize biases associated with individual component indices (Hyslop, 1980;Cortés, 1997;Liao et al, 2001;Hart et al, 2002), although others have noted that compound indices may exacerbate the error term and are affected by the taxonomic resolution of prey (Hyslop 1980;Hansson, 1998), and 2) to facilitate comparisons with other studies of juvenile flounder diet that have a similar approach (Burke, 1995;Carlson et al, 1997;Grover, 1998;Złoch and Sapota, 2010;Sagarese et al, 2011). Lastly, each seine haul yielded a cluster of winter and summer flounder, and these individuals likely have increased similarities in diet relative to conspecifics sampled at different sites or dates (Bogstad et al, 1995).…”