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Table 44. Most commonly eaten fish prey in the Hudson-Raritan
Estuary, in approximate order of their overall frequency of occurrence
in diets
|
|
Prey
|
Prey Habitat
(if definable)
|
Primary Predators
(minor predation by others possible)
|
| Unidentified fish (including scales, bones and otoliths) |
Not definable |
Windowpane, summer flounder, red, spotted & silver hakes, weakfish,
northern searobin, striped bass, clearnose & winter skates, and smooth
dogfish |
| Unidentified juvenile or small flounder |
Not definable |
Little & winter skates, summer flounder, red & spotted hakes |
| Unidentified juvenile searobins (Prionotus sp.) |
Benthic genus, common in warmer months |
Minor use of juveniles by little & clearnose skates, summer flounder,
red & spotted hakes, striped searobin, and bluefish |
| Anchovy, Anchoa sp. (mostly bay anchovy) |
Small, pelagic, schooling species, most common in warmer months |
Windowpane, weakfish, northern kingfish; minor use by others |
| Smallmouth flounder |
Small benthic species |
Striped bass; minor use by others |
| Red hake |
Benthic species, mostly found in the cooler months |
Minor use of juveniles by several species |
| Goby (naked?), Gobiosoma sp. |
Minute benthic species, usually associated with shelter, e.g.,
sponges |
Striped bass; minor use by skates |
| Juvenile silver hake |
Semipelagic species, commonly found in cooler months |
Weakfish, striped bass, larger silver hake; minor use by others |
| Juvenile black sea bass |
Structure-oriented species, often collected in redbeard sponge patches,
probably also found within rocky rip-rap |
Minor use by several species |
| Juvenile Atlantic menhaden |
Pelagic, schooling species, summer visitor |
Minor use by several species |
| Juvenile windowpane |
Resident species, found widespread throughout the Estuary |
Adult red hake; minor use by other species |
| Juvenile cunner |
Resident species usually found near structure |
Summer flounder; minor use by skates and red hake |
| Silversides, Menidia sp. |
Common, schooling species in shallow water during warmer months |
Juvenile bluefish; minor use by others |
| Rock gunnel |
Small, resident species, associated with structure |
Minor use by little & clearnose skates, summer flounder, and striped
bass |
| Northern pipefish |
Small, semiresident species, often found in algal patches |
Minor use by several species |
| Juvenile winter flounder |
Resident species, most common in deeper, silty areas |
Clearnose & winter skates; minor use by little skate |
| Juvenile striped searobin |
Benthic, warm season visitor, usually trawled in deeper areas |
Adult striped searobin; minor use by a few other species |
| Juvenile grubby |
Small resident species |
Minor use by several species |
| Sand lance, Ammodytes sp. |
Sand-dwelling species, found in marine areas |
Winter skate; minor use by windowpane and little skate |
| Juvenile weakfish |
Semipelagic, summer resident |
Minor use by summer flounder, red hake, and adult weakfish |
| Juvenile river herring, Alosa sp. |
Schooling species, usually collected in cooler months |
Minor use by windowpane and summer flounder |
| Northern searobin |
Small, summer resident |
Minor use of adults and juveniles by little skate and striped bass |
| Butterfish |
Small, semipelagic schooling species common in warmer months |
Weakfish and bluefish, only |
| Juvenile American eel |
Prefers silty sediments |
Clearnose skate and spotted hake |
| Unidentified juvenile hake, Urophycis sp. |
Not definable |
Striped bass; minor use by clearnose skate |
| Other juvenile or small fish infrequently preyed upon: Atlantic herring,
Atlantic croaker, lined seahorse, scup, conger eel, and northern stargazer
(Astroscopus guttatus) |
Various |
Winter skate, windowpane, smooth dogfish, summer flounder, striped bass,
and striped searobin |