Table 2. --Stomach contents of six species (two shrimp, four fish) collected at 7 to 4-6 m. on 

 commercial shrimp grounds off Galveston and Freeport, Tex., winter 1966 



diets of the Atlantic croaker and silver seatrout 

 were not as diversified as those of the other 

 four species. 



The stomach contents of the two species of 

 shrimp were identical. We could not detect 

 any difference in the diets of shrimp of 

 different sizes except that squid tentacles 

 occurred more frequently in stomachs of the 

 larger shrimp. Major food items appear 

 to be squid tentacles, Crustacea, and sea 

 worms. 



Donald Moore, Project Leader 



FLORIDA BAY ECOLOGY STUDIES 



Personnel at the Biological Field Station in 

 Miami, Fla., completed the first year of am 

 ecology study on postlarval and juvenile pink 

 shrimp in eastern Florida Bay. Systematic 

 field observations were made at stations 

 along the northernmost Florida Keys amd 

 in the shallow-water shrimp nursery areas 

 (fig. 5). 



One purpose of this study was to measure 

 the abundance of postlarvae entering the nurs- 

 ery grounds through passes in the Florida 

 Keys and the abundance of advanced postlarvae 

 and juveniles on the nursery grounds. Immi- 

 grating postlarvae were sampled at various 

 Key bridges and at Whale Harbor, Islamorada. 

 A specially designed metal frame that simul- 

 taneously supported plankton nets at three 

 depths was installed (fig. 6). Included as 

 part of the submerged equipment was a 

 Savonius Rotor Current Speed Sensor to 

 measure current speeds when the plankton 

 nets were in operation. Postlarval ain-d 

 juvenile shrinnp were sampled on the 

 nursery grounds with a unit-area suction 

 sampler. 



The abundance of immigrating postlarvae 

 and of postlarvae and juveniles in the bays 

 varied monthly over 9 months (fig. 7). Although 

 these trends in abundance are similar, the 

 shrimp appeared to be taken in the passes 1 

 month earlier than on the nursery grounds. 

 An extended series of similar observations 

 and projection of previously determined growth 

 rates may permit tentative identification of 



