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Table 15. Summary of other weakfish diet studies for the coastal Middle Atlantic Bight. (Major prey taxa ranked in relative order of importance by: mean percent frequency of occurrence (FO), mean percent contribution to total stomach content volume (TV), and mean percent contribution to total stomach content weight (TW), as available from each source.)

Source
Study Area
Year(s)
(month(s), season(s),
and/or frequency)
No. Examined
(size [TL cm]) or
age range, mean size)

Primary Prey in Order of Importance
by FO, IRI, TDW, TN, TV, and/or TW

Welsh and Breder (1924) Acushnet River, MA 1882 (Sep) 28 (7-11) TV -- Fish (killifish and river herring) and "shrimp."
Peck (1896) Woods Hole, MA 1893 (summer) 570 ("older fish") FO -- Juvenile herring and bluefish, butterfish, herring, squid, crustaceans, and juvenile Atlantic menhaden.
Welsh and Breder (1924) Cape May, NJ 1916 (Aug) 32 (3-8)
TV -- Mysids, "shrimp," unidentified crustaceans, and juvenile herring.
1919 (May) 30 (24-39) TV -- Mysids, unidentified crustaceans, and "shrimp."
Welsh and Breder (1924) Cape Charles, VA 1916 (Sep) 45 (4-12) TV -- Mysids, copepods, amphipods, and juvenile herring.
Breder (1922b) Raritan Bay, NJ 1921 (summer) ? (33-51) FO? -- Squid, shrimp, juvenile Atlantic menhaden, silver perch, and anchovy.
Tressler and Bere (1939) Southern Long Island, NY 1938 (summer) 89 (4-11) FO? -- Crangon and copepods.
Shuster (1959) Delaware Bay 1952 (summer/fall) 205 (12-30) FO -- Neomysis, unidentified fish, Solen viridis, and Crangon
Richards (1963) Long Island Sound 1956-57 (seasonally) Sand station - 23 (4-10)

FO? -- Crangon, Upogebia sp., juvenile bay anchovy, copepods, and Ampelisca sp.

Mud station - 48 (4-8)

FO? -- Crangon, Neomysis, and copepods.
de Sylva et al. (1962) Delaware Bay 1958-60 (summer/fall) 220 (2-15) FO -- Neomysis, Crangon, decapod larvae, juvenile Limulus polyphemus, and unidentified juvenile fish.
Van Engle and Joseph (1968) Chesapeake Bay, VA 1967 (summer) 268 ("juveniles") TV -- Unidentified fish (mostly bay anchovy and naked goby), Neomysis, Crangon, copepods, and amphipods.
FO -- Neomysis, fish, copepods, and amphipods.
Thomas (1971) Delaware River 1969 (summer/fall) 494 (5-18) FO -- Neomysis, Gammarus sp., unidentified fish , juvenile weakfish, detritus, and copepods.
64 (>18) FO -- Juvenile weakfish, unidentified fish, Neomysis, and Gammarus sp.
Kimmel (1973) Mouth of Chesapeake Bay 1971-72 (spring/summer) 27 (2-28) TV -- Neomysis, calanoid copepods, Crangon, and unidentified crustaceans.
Festa (1979) Little Egg Harbor, NJ 1972-77 (summer/fall) 51 (<17) TV -- Neomysis, fish (anchovy), Crangon, and Ampelisca sp.
FO -- Neomysis, Crangon, fish, and Ampelisca sp.
Chao and Musick York River, VA 1973 (summer) 36 (7-18) FO -- Bay anchovy, Neomysis, and other fish.
Allen et al. (1978) Hereford Inlet, NJ 1973-77 (biweekly/monthly) 86 (3-22) FO -- Mysids, Crangon, crab larvae, and unidentified fish.
Bason et al. (1975, 1976); Keirsey et al. (1977) Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, DE 1974-76 (summer/fall) 1,119 (2-44, mostly < 10) TV -- Neomysis, bay anchovy, Crangon, Gammarus sp., juvenile fish (Atlantic menhaden, weakfish, and croaker), polychaetes, and Corophium sp.
Homer and Boynton (1978) Chesapeake Bay, MD 1977 (summer) 808 (3-19) TW -- Bay anchovy, Pseudodiaptomus coronatus, juvenile weakfish, Nereis succinea, and other polychaetes.
Scarlett and Giust (1989) Manasquan River, NJ 1984-86 (monthly) 45 (9-20) TV -- Crangon, sand lance, detritus, Neomysis, unidentified fish, and naked goby.
Hartman and Brandt (1995) Chesapeake Bay 1990-92 (bimonthly?) 564 (age 0)   TW -- Juvenile bay anchovy and other fish (e.g. juvenile croaker).
353 (age 1) TW -- Bay anchovy, juvenile Atlantic menhaden, spot, and other fish.
54 (age 2+) TW -- Spot, Atlantic menhaden, juvenile summer flounder, and bay anchovy.

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(Modified Jun. 13 2008)