| Virginia
Journal of Science.
2000. Vol 51 (1) : 23-37 |
| Feeding
Habits of Young-of-Year Striped Bass, Morone saxatilis, and White Perch, Morone americana, in lower James River, VA Paul J. Rudershausen, Tarpon Bay Environmental Laboratory, 900 A Tarpon Bay Road, Sanibel, FL 33957 and Dr. Joseph G. Loesch, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, P.O. Box 1346, Gloucester Point, VA 23062 ABSTRACT
A total of 188 young-of-year (YOY) striped bass, Morone saxatilis, and 199 YOY white
perch, Morone americana, were
collected by pushnet, seine and trawl during 24-hour periods from June
through August, 1992 in lower James River, Virginia. The purpose
was to identify prey and temporal and spatial feeding habits.
Copepods were the most numerous prey of both species. Fishes and
mysids comprised the largest volumetric percentage of diets of striped
bass and white perch, respectively. Using an index of relative
importance, leptodorids and copepods were the most important prey of
striped bass and white perch, respectively. Both
species shifted from planktonic to epibenthic foods with increasing
length. Diets of striped bass and white perch captured by seine
were significantly more diverse than those captured by trawl. No
temporal or spatial differences in feeding success were found for
striped bass. White perch captured at twilight and by pushnet fed
more successfully than conspecifics captured at day, or by seine or
trawl, respectively. Spearman correlation coefficient, Horn's
index and Shannon-Weaver index indicated that diets between striped
bass and white perch were significantly correlated, highly overlapping
and equally diverse, respectively. With the exception of one
temporal and one spatial comparison, interspecific comparisons of
feeding success were not significantly different. Results
indicate that young of both species feed opportunistically.
Abiotic factors appear to have little direct relationship with YOY
striped bass and YOY white perch feeding success.. |