40 Frank J. Schwartz 



Stomachs of 84 species of fishes were examined to note percent 

 fullness, percent volume, and frequency of occurrence of each food 

 item. Foods were present in the stomachs of 82 species. Stomach content 

 of each food item was estimated visually by percent volume and determined 

 to the lowest possible taxon. 



Environmental features of salinity were noted with A/O refractometers, 

 air and water temperatures with Taylor portable field thermometers, 

 and oxygen content with YSI 51 or 57 units. 



RESULTS 



Siphon tips were found in the stomachs of 889 individual fishes 

 (4.1% of those examined with food) comprising 14 species and nine 

 fish families (Bothidae, 4 species; Sciaenidae, 3; Achiridae, 1; Soleidae, 

 1; Ephippidae, 1; Haemulidae, 1; Serranidae, 1; Sparidae, 1; and Triglidae, 

 1) collected 453 times between 1973-1978 (Table 1). Siphons tips had 

 been eaten by 514 males, 313 females, and 62 specimens whose sex 

 was undetermined (Table 1). Recognizable food was found in 21,732 

 of the 27,461 specimens (14 species) examined (Table 1). 



Croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) stomachs (349 specimens) often 

 contained up to 80% of their stomach contents as siphon tips. Hogchokers 

 (Trinectes maculatus) (138 specimens) were the second most frequent 

 siphon tip browser, followed by southern kingfish {Menticirrus americanus) 

 (108), spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) (105), pigfish {Orthopristes chrysopterus) 

 (90), and fringed flounder (Etropus crossotus) (58) (Table 1). 



Regardless of species caught, most specimens containing siphon 

 tips were less than 126 mm, average 90 mm SL (Table 1). Largest 

 specimens eating siphon tips were the pigfish (Orthopristis chrysoptera) 

 (270 mm SL), southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) (270 mm 

 SL), and leopard searobin (Prinotus scitulus) (157 mm SL), respectively 

 (Table 1). Siphon tips were found most often in yearling fishes caught 

 in September (111 times), August, and October (59 each), with least 

 occurrences in December (1) (Table 2). 



Sampling effort by station/month ranged between 80-1,056 (Table 

 3). Fishes with siphon tips in their stomach contents were caught 

 more often at Station 174 (67 times), Buoy 19 (43), 23 (42), and 

 the ocean (46) than at most other stations (Table 3), perhaps as a 

 result of clam patchiness. Most siphon tip nipping occurred in 1976 

 (155) and 1977 samples (137) (Table 4); the least in 1973. Although 

 sampling efforts were greater in 1976 and 1977 (Table 4), other factors 

 such as cold winter waters or ice cover were perhaps more important 

 in inducing nipping than sampling effort. Low field recorded water 

 temperatures were 7 C in January 1976 and 4 C in January 1977, 



