192 



BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



that feed exclusively on these definite forms. Of the 220 trout, 61 per cent had been 

 feeding on shrimp exclusively, usually Peneus, 24 per cent had eaten fish, 1 per cent 

 crabs, and 14 per cent mixed organisms. The mixed food usually was composed of 

 shrimp and fish. The food of the trout, according to the size of the fish (6 to 60 

 centimeters), appears to be fairly uniform in character. 



Table 25. — Food preference of 220 spotted trout 

 [Mixed food usually consisted of shrimp.'; and fish. AH fish talcen February to May, 1927] 



The various species of fish captured and consumed by the spotted trout include 

 principally the young of the croaker, spot, and mullet, besides the young and adult 

 Menidia and Anchovia. Small grass-dwelling fishes, such as the gobies, also are 

 eaten extensively. 



The avidity of the trout for its favorite food, the shrimp, is attested by the success 

 fishermen have when they use this crustacean as bait. Often commercial hook-and- 

 line fishing is suspended for lack of shrimp with which to bait the hooks. 



The preference of the fish for the clear waters of the more quiet, grassy-bottomed 

 coves and lagoons might justly be attributed to the habit of the trout of selecting its 

 food with some care, taking in little mud and debris, as is customary with such species 

 as the black drum, croaker, and spot, which prefer as feeding grounds areas covered 

 with little or no vegetation. 



COMMERCIAL CONSIDERATIONS 



The spotted trout (squeteague) has commercial importance from Delaware 

 Bay to the Rio Grande. It is essentially a warm-water, coastal fish, the center of 

 its natural abundance being in Florida and the Gulf States. The maximum recorded 

 size for the species is 16 pounds for a fish from Chesapeake Bay. Individuals weighing 

 over 10 pounds are rare, however, particularly along the Texas coast. The fish is 

 always in market demand and brings a good price to the fishermen at all times of 

 the year. Table 26 gives the catch of spotted trout in certain years as shown by the 

 records of the United States Bureau of Fisheries. 



Tablk 26. — Approximate commercial catcli of spotted sea trout (Cynoscion nebulosus) in the United 



States in certain years 



