Abstract
The dominant food items in 817 stomachs of weakfish collected in North Carolina waters from 1967 to 1970 were penaeid and mysid shrimps, anchovies, and clupeid fishes. Dominance of various food items shifted depending upon the technique used to describe food habits: percent occurrence, percent number, or percent volume. Age 0 weakfish fed primarily on shrimp and anchovy. In Age I fish, shrimp and anchovy continued to dominate the food though other fishes appeared in the diet. Importance of shrimp in the diet decreased from Age II on. Older weakfish fed upon the clupeid species that were dominant in a given area.
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Adapted from part of a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Ph.D. in the Zoology Department, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina. Financial support was provided by the Sport Fishery Institute.
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Merriner, J.V. Food habits of the weakfish, Cynoscion regalis, in North Carolina waters. Chesapeake Science 16, 74–76 (1975). https://doi.org/10.2307/1351090
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1351090