Black drum, continued 



the predominant food items (Peters and McMichael 

 1 990) . The consumption of soft food decreases as size 

 increases, shifting to the main adult diet of molluscs 

 and crabs (Dugas 1 986, Peters and McMichael 1 990). 

 This change in feeding habits occurs as the pharyngeal 

 teeth become developed and the black drum can start 

 consuming hard-bodied prey (Peters and McMichael 

 1 990). Large juveniles (>200 mm SL) with well-devel- 

 oped pharyngeal teeth have diets similar to adults. 

 Martin (1979) reported that black drum >300 mm TL 

 favored bivalve molluscs, with Mulinia lateralis most 

 frequently encountered. Dugas (1986) found black 

 drum >700 mm SL prey on oysters approximately 75 

 mm in length. Another study observed that drum <900 

 mm TL consumed oysters 25-75 mm in length while 

 drum >900 mm TL consumed oysters 25-1 1 5 in length 

 (Cave 1978). Other prey items include: common 

 rangia, hard clam, Ensis minor, tellin clams, xanthid 

 crabs, insects, mysids, amphipods, barnacles, iso- 

 pods, penaeid shrimp, mud shrimp, hermit crabs, blue 

 crab, polychaetes, bay anchovy, Atlantic spadefish, 

 gobies, and Atlantic croaker (Cave 1978, Benson 

 1982, Dugas 1986, Peters and McMichael 1990). 



Biological Interactions 



Predation : Little information is available that describes 

 specific predators of black drum; however, it is likely 

 that larvae and juveniles are utilized as a food source 

 by larger predator species during their life cycle (Leard 

 et al. 1 993). Potential predators include various drums 

 (Sciaenidae), jacks (Carangidae), and mackerels 

 (Scombridae) as well as sharks. Filter feeding fish 

 such as anchovies are potential predators of black 

 drum eggs and larvae. 



Factors Influencing Populations : Rapid and extreme 

 fluctuations in temperature may cause mortalities; 

 however, the most limiting habitat requirements ap- 

 pear to be amount of estuarine habitat and the accom- 

 panying availability of food (Leard et al. 1 993). Interac- 

 tion with other species have not been well studied 

 (Sutter et al. 1 986). Some competition may exist with 

 red drum and other bottom feeders for benthic re- 

 sources. Fishing pressure on the black drum has 

 increased since the mid-1980s in the northern Gulf of 

 Mexico, with the reductions of harvest of the red drum 

 (Beckman et al. 1990). The long life span of this 

 species implies an extremely low natural mortality rate 

 which probably means little surplus production is avail- 

 able for commercial fishery yield (Murphy and Taylor 

 1989). This would tend to make this species a poor 

 candidate for an intensive or even moderate fishery. 

 The normal feeding habits of this species may have a 

 detrimental effect on the spawning and nursery grounds 

 of spotted seatrout, red drum, and juvenile penaeid 

 shrimp by the destruction of seagrass beds (Cave 

 1978). 



References 



Allshouse, W.C. 1983. The distribution of immigrating 

 larval and postlarval fishes into the Aransas-Corpus 

 Christi Bay complex. M.S. thesis, Corpus Christi St. 

 Univ., Corpus Christi, TX, 118 p. 



Beckman, D.W., A.L. Stanby, J.H. Render, and C.A. 

 Wilson. 1990. Age and growth of black drum in 

 Louisiana waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Trans. Am. 

 Fish. Soc. 119:537-544. 



Benson, N.G., (ed.). 1982. Life history requirements 

 of selected finfish and shellfish in Mississippi Sound 

 and adjacent areas. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv. Biol. Rep., 

 FWS/OBS-81/51,97p. 



Bryant, H.E., M.R. Dewey, N.A. Funicelli, G.M. Ludwig, 

 D.A. Meineke, and L.J. Mengal. 1989. Movement of 

 five selected sports species of fish in Everglades 

 National Park. Bull. Mar. Sci. 44:515. 



Cave, R.N. 1978. Predator-prey relationships involv- 

 ing the American oyster, Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin), 

 and the black drum, Pogonias cromis (Linnaeus), in 

 Mississippi Sound. M.S. thesis, Southeast. Louis. 

 Univ., 43 p. 



Cody, T.J., K.W.Rice, and C.E.Bryan. 1985. Distribu- 

 tion and gonadal development of black drum in Texas 

 Gulf waters. Tex. Parks Wildl. Dept. Manag. DataSer. 

 No. 72, 16 p. 



Cornelius, S. 1984. Contribution to the life history of 

 black drum and analysis of the commercial fishery of 

 Baffin Bay, Volume II. Technical Bulletin No. 6, Caesar 

 Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&l Univ., 

 Kingsville, TX, 53 p. 



Cowan, J.H. 1985. The distribution, transport, and age 

 structure of drums (family Sciaenidae) spawned in the 

 winter and early spring in the continental shelf waters 

 off west Louisiana. Ph.D. dissertation, Louisiana St. 

 Univ., Shreveport, LA, 184 p. 



Ditty, J. G., and R.F.Shaw. 1994. Preliminary guide to 

 the identification of the early life history stages of 

 sciaenid fishes from the western central Atlantic. NOAA 

 Tech. Memo. NMFS-SEFSC-349. 



Ditty, J.G., G.G. Zieske, and R.F. Shaw. 1988. Sea- 

 sonality and depth distribution of larval fishes in the 

 northern Gulf of Mexico above latitude 26°00'N. Fish. 

 Bull., U.S. 86(4):81 1-823. 



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