Overton et at: Interactions between Morone saxatiiis and their prey during winter off the North Carolm coast 
177 
Table 1 
Mean size (total length |TL] mm ±standard deviation [SD ] ), size range, and number of striped bass ( Morone saxatiiis) with food in 
their stomachs collected off the coasts of North Carolina and Virginia from trawl and hook-and-line samples during 1994-2007. 
Collection year and 
Mean TL 
Size range 
Number of fish examined 
gear type 
(mm, ±SD) 
(TL mm) 
(% with food in the stomach) 
1994, trawl 
613.1 (72.3) 
425-765 
73(99) 
1995, trawl 
639.7 (57.0) 
525-718 
19 (100) 
1996, trawl 
805.9 (75.6) 
666-955 
34(74) 
2000, trawl 
561.3 (90.5) 
465-770 
50(84) 
2002, trawl 
616.2(180.0) 
373-941 
60(77) 
2003, trawl 
836.6(80.6) 
745-953 
19 (84) 
2005, hook-and-line 
881.2 (94.5) 
509-1150 
253 (23) 
2006, hook-and-line 
914.6(87.9) 
720-1200 
450(28) 
2007, hook-and-line 
994.2 (99.0) 
760-1250 
140(81) 
Table 2 
Diet summary of prey contributions (%B=biomass, %N=number) and mean prey size (total length [TL] ±standard deviation 
[SD] ) of striped bass ( Morone saxatiiis ) during the winter off the coast of North Carolina from 1994 through 2007. Asterisk rep- 
resents only one prey item. 
Year 
1994 1995 1996 2000 2002 
Fish Scientific name %B %N %B %N %B %N %B %N %B %N 
American eel 
Anguilla rostrata 
American shad 
Alosa sapidissima 
Atlantic croaker 
Micropogonias undulatus 
Atlantic herring 
Clupea harengus 
Atlantic menhaden 
Brevoortia tyrannus 
38.8 
10.6 
Bay anchovy 
Anchoa mitchilli 
34.3 
55.2 
Blueback herring 
Alosa aestivalis 
3.1 
6.1 
Butterfish 
Peprilus triacanthus 
Hickory shad 
Alosa mediocris 
Round herring 
Etrumeus teres 
Sciaenid sp. 
14.1 
13.7 
Silver perch 
Bairdiella chrysoura 
Spot 
Leiostomus xanthurus 
Tonguefishes 
Symphurus sp. 
Unknown clupeid 
1.6 
2.1 
Fish remains 
1.5 
2.7 
Weakfish 
Cynoscion regalis 
Menticirrhus spp. 
Invertebrates 
Gastropod shell 
Gastropod 
Decapods 
Decapoda 
2.1 
2.2 
Sand shrimp 
Crangon septimspinosa 
2.8 
4.7 
Mud crab 
Panopeus herbstii 
Longfin squid 
Loligo pealeii 
10.1 
0.9 
4.1 
0.4 
29.9 
4.5 
30.5 
2.2 
31.8 
13.7 
73.8 
7.3 
60.1 
94.5 
40.4 
85.2 
58.9 
85.8 
16.7 
79.4 
8.1 
0.5 
1 0.4 
16.2 4.8 
0.3 0.6 9.3 0.5 0.3 0.7 
1.4 0.2 
0.3 0.2 
2.4 11.4 
continued 
