FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 75, NO. 2 



TABLE 6.— Analysis of 1,655 stomach contents from 46 species of fishes captured on the scallop 

 grounds during commercial operations between February and October 1972. 



based upon Gray et al. (1968) and Downey (pers. 

 commun.). 



Roe et al. (1971) suggested that Asterias forbesi 

 may be a major predator on the calico scallops of 

 the Cape Canaveral grounds. The low total per- 

 cent of its occurrence on the 1972 North Carolina 

 calico scallop grounds (Table 7) precludes this as- 

 sumption for the 1972 fishery. Stomachs of A. for- 

 besi were not examined because it everts its 

 stomach when feeding (Hyman 1955:369). Hyman 

 (1955) made no mention of the feeding habits of 

 sea stars belonging to the Goniasteridae, Echinas- 

 teridae, or the Gorgonocephalidae. Stomachs of 

 species belonging to these families (Goniaster 

 americanus, Echinaster brasiliensis, and Gor- 

 gonocephalus arcticus) contained no recognizable 



material. What they were feeding upon is not 

 known but, in light of their small numbers on the 

 scallop beds and the lack of scallops in their 

 stomachs, it is assumed that they were not sig- 

 nificant scallop predators on the 1972 bed. 



Luidia alternate: frequented the calico scallop 

 bed yet was not as common as eitherL. elathrata or 

 Astropecten articulatus (Table 7). Stomach con- 

 tents yielded no calico scallops. Several specimens 

 were found in the field feeding upon smaller A. 

 articulatus. One large living specimen, held in an 

 experimental tank under controlled environmen- 

 tal conditions with living calico scallops, showed 

 no interest in the scallops but was seen feeding 

 upon A. articulatus and L. elathrata. It did at- 

 tempt unsuccessfully to feed on a Asterias forbesi 



440 



