Page 10

Table 16. List of common prey of fish and lobster in the New York Bight apex from pre-1986 data, based on greater than 10-percent

frequency of occurrence in overall collections

Phylum Coelenterata
Class Hydrozoa
Class Anthozoa
Order Ceriantharia
Ceriantheopsis americanus
Phylum Rhynchocoela
Class Anopla
Order Heteronemertea
Family Lineidae
Cerebratulus lacteus
Phylum Mollusca
Class Bivalvia
Order Nuculoida
Family Nuculidae
Nucula sp.
Family Nuculanidae
Yoldia limatula
Order Veneroida
Family Mactridae
Spisula solidissima
Family Solenidae
Ensis directus
Solen sp.
Family Tellinidae
Tellina agilis
Family Dreissenidae
Arctica islandica
Class Cephalopoda
Order Teuthoidea
(either) Family Loliginidae: Loligo pealeii
(or) Family Ommastrephidae: Illex illecebrosus
Phylum Annelida
Class Polychaeta
Order Phyllodocidae
Family Glyceridae
Glycera sp.
Family Nephtyidae
Nephtys sp.
Family Nereidae
Nereis virens
Order Spionida
Family Spionidae
Spiophanes bombyx
Order Eunicida
Family Onuphidae
Diopatra cuprea
Family Lumbrinereidae
Lumbrineris sp.
Order Flabelligerida
Family Flabelligeridae
Pherusa affinis

Phylum Arthropoda
Class Crustacea
Order Cumacea
Order Isopoda
Family Idoteidae
Edotea triloba
Order Amphipoda
Family Ampeliscidae
Ampelisca sp.
Family Corophiidae
Unciola sp.
Family Photidae
Leptocheirus pinguis
Order Mysidacea
Family Mysidae
(mostly) Neomysis americanus
Order Euphausidacea
Order Decapoda
Family Pandalidae
Dichelopandalus leptocerus
Family Crangonidae
Crangon septemspinosa
Family Cancridae
Cancer irroratus
Family Paguridae
Pagurus sp.
Family Portunidae
Ovalipes ocellatus
Phylum Echinodermata
Class Holothuroidea
Class Echinoidea
Order Clypeasteroida
Family Echinarachnidae
Echinarachnius parma



Page 1

ABSTRACT

The effects of waste disposal on the living marine resources and associated ecological processes in the coastal
New York Bight apex are a prime concern for conserving and managing these resources. Until recently, there has
been limited information on ecological processes related to fishery resources in the Bight apex, e.g., food webs or
trophodynamics, which could be affected by waste disposal. This report describes the diets of five common species
of demersal fishes (i.e., silver hake, red hake, winter flounder, windowpane, and fourspot flounder) collected in the
New York Bight apex, with some preliminary notes on the diets of several other species from the area. The
collections covered the period between 1982 and 1985, during the peak of sewage sludge disposal, in variably
contaminated areas of the Bight apex. The results of this diet study, and comparisons with the results of previous
diet studies since the 1950s, suggest neither temporal or spatial differences in diets because of sludge disposal.
Mysid shrimps and small decapod crustaceans continue to be important components of most diets.

INTRODUCTION

The New York Bight apex, the coastal area at the
mouth of New York Harbor, has been subject to multiple-
use problems since colonial times (Squires 1981). The
consequences of disposing various wastes in the apex on its
living marine resources have been of concern to managers,
at least since World War II. In the 1940s, the effects of
disposing dredged harbor sediments, domestic garbage
incineration ash, industrial wastes, or sewage sludge in the
apex were mostly unknown, and opinions on possible harm
varied. Some considered sewage to be beneficial, i.e.,
providing a “fertilizing action”; however, the contamina-
tion and closure of local shellfish beds were well-known
negative results. The need for research on the marine
disposal of various wastes was evident, however, to keep
“the serpent of pollution” in check (Westman 1949). De-
tailed studies on the effects of waste disposal on fishery
resources, habitat, or ecology did not begin until the late
1940s, and these considered only industrial acid wastes
(Amold and Royce 1950; Redfield and Walford 1951).
Comprehensive studies of other waste disposal activities
did not truly begin until the late 1960s. These studies
demonstrated that sediment quality and benthic inverte-
brate community structure in deeper portions of the apex
had been substantially altered (National Marine Fisheries
Service 1972; Steimle et al. 1982).

Information on the effects of this altered benthic habitat
on its associated invertebrate communities and on fishery
resources in the Bight apex, as well as information on the
linkages (e.g., trophodynamics) among the habitat, com-
munities, and resources, is not well known. Information on
the trophodynamics of fishery resources in the Bight apex is
essential to understanding how polluted habitats can alter
ecological processes or help define the potential pathways
forfishery resource contamination (Pentreath 1976; Fletcher
et al. 1981; Mohlenberg and Kiorboe 1983; Pizza and
O’Connor 1983; Willis and Sunda 1984; Atchinson et al.
1987; and others).

Despite the importance or utility of dietary information
for understanding linkages between waste-disposal-caused
benthic alteration and fishery resources, there are few di-

etary studies for the Bight apex, i.e., Schaefer (1960),
Steimle and Ogren (1982), Luczkovich and Olla (1983), and
Steimle (1985), and these have limitations. To improve our
understanding of the ramifications of benthic alterations by
waste disposal on fishery resources in the Bight apex, we
report on the results of the examination of 1,225 stomach
samples from several common fishery species. These
results are compared to previous Bight apex studies or to
more general studies for the New York - Southern New
England area for evidence of a change in diets that could be
related to waste disposal.

METHODS

The New York Bight apex, being a complex habitat,
was stratified into seven areas (Figure 1) approximately
representing major habitat types in the apex as defined by
topography, water depth, sediment type, sediment contami-
nation, and proximity to waste disposal sites and one “con-
trol” area, Z (Table 1). The many ship wrecks, bottom
debris, lobster fishing gear, heavy shipping traffic, and
other navigational/sampling problems in the Bight apex
precluded the use of a cost-effective randomized sam-
pling approach for each stratum. Specific operational
trawling zones were found within each stratum and
used to collect the stomachs examined for this study.

Collections were based on 20-30 min tows at 1.5 knots
by otter trawls with a 30-ft (9-m) mouth and a 1-inch (2.5-
cm) stretched-mesh cod end. Upon collection, desired
samples were segregated by species or, in the case of large
collections, into subsamples of about 10 individuals per 10-
cm length intervals, or into obvious size classes of each
selected species. Samples were individually measured,
stomachs removed, and their contents analyzed according to
the standard, semiquantitative method used by the Northeast
Fisheries Science Center (Langton et al. 1980; Bowman
1982). This analysis included carefully emptying the con-
tents of each individual stomach sample into a petri dish to
retain the contents’ original size and shape in the stomach
and estimating the total stomach volume (estimated to 0.1-
cm? accuracy) by a side-by-side comparison with the most


Page 6

Table 9. Results of the July 1983, area D, 24-hr feeding study for windowpane; prey listed in relative order of importance based on
percent frequency of occurrence. (See Table 16 for full prey names.)

Time
0800 1100 1500 1830 2300 0300

No. of samples 4 10 10 3 8 0
Mean length (cm) 28.3 27.6 26.6 28.8 25.9 -
Percent empty ry) 60 60 100 38 -
Mean total volume (cm’) 0.55 0.66 0.85 0 1.03 :
Relative fullness 0.02 0.02 0.03 0 0.04
Prey Crangon Mysids Crangon Mysids

Anchovy Crangon Mysids Crangon

Table 10. Results of the July 1983, area D, 24-hr feeding study for fourspot flounder; prey listed in relative order of importance based
on percent frequency of occurrence. (See Table 16 for full prey names.)

Time
0800 1100 1500 1830 2300 0300
No. of samples 10 10 10 7 10 0
Mean length (cm) 27.6 27.3 28.9 26.3 27.2 -
Percent empty 60 t) 80 29 40 -
Mean total volume (cm’) 0.66 0.86 4.50 3.40 0.62 -
Relative fullness 0.02 0.03 0.16 0.13 0.02
Prey Mysids Cancer Squid American sand lance American sand lance
Crangon Mysids Crangon Cancer
Fish(?) Squid Fish (?)
Crangon Fish(?) Crangon
Dichelopandalus Mysids Decapod(?)
Ensis Mysids
gested that winter flounder fed primarily in the morning, DISCUSSION

prior to 1100, when there were the highest average stomach
volumes, greatest prey diversity, and relatively low percent
of empty stomachs (Table 8). There also appears to be a
lesser, secondary feeding effort in the early evening (before
1900) as evidenced by a slight increase in average stomach
volume and decrease in the percentage of empty stomachs.
Unidentifiable material, mostly well digested, dominated
stomach contents from 1830 to 0300.

Preliminary data for windowpane (Table 9) suggested
more constant feeding from early morning to near midnight.
Unfortunately, no samples were collected at 0300, and a
small collection at 1830 with empty stomachs renders the
results inconclusive.

The fourspot flounder had the highest stomach vol-
umes during the afternoon collections, 1500 to 1830, but
the percentage of empty stomachs and prey diversity were
variable (Table 10).

These preliminary results suggest little qualitative
difference between diets of the five primary fish species
examined in the most contaminated areas of the Bight apex
(Figure 1, areas C and E-G) relative to other areas in the
apex. For example, winter flounder consumed the same
major prey (Ceriantheopsis, Lumbrineris, and Pherusa) in
almost all areas (Table 2). The frequency of empty stom-
achs, an index used to suggest possible feeding inhibition
such as from any adverse conditions in the most altered
apex habitat, was not greater in the more contaminated
areas compared to less contaminated areas (Table 2); in
fact, there were fewer empty stomachs in the more contami-
nated areas (i.e., the mean frequency in more contaminated
areas was 10 percent compared with a mean frequency in
less contaminated areas of greater than 30 percent). The


IN

Page 3

Table 1. Habitat characteristics of New York Bight apex demersal predator collection areas (Figure 1) based on Reid et al. (1982),

Steimle (1985), and others
Area Characteristics
A Aninshore area, 15-25 m in depth, with mixed sand and silt sediments, influenced by the Hudson-Raritan estuarine

plume. Benthic macrofaunal biomass levels were patchy and variable, 23-380 g/m? (wet wt), and dominated by the
nutclam, Nucula sp., and the polychaetes Nephtys incisa and Nereis virens.

On the west shoulder of the Christiaensen Basin, in the dredge spoil dumpsite, 25-30 m in depth, variably silty,
medium to fine sands. Benthic biomass was relatively low, 54-108 g/m?, and variably dominated by Nucula sp.,and
by Nephitys incisa and several other species of polychaetes.

In the “Mud Hole,” 50-70 m in depth with silty sediments having relatively high concentrations of toxic chemicals.
Benthic biomass was relatively high, greater than 200 g/m?, and dominated by Nucula sp., thynchocoels,
Ceriantheopsis, and the polychaetes Pherusa affinis, Nephtys incisa, and some smaller species.

On the east shoulder of the “Mud Hole” in 25-30 m with silty, medium-to-fine sand; just below the sewage sludge
disposal area. Benthic biomass levels were relatively low, 26-82 g/m”, and dominated by the polychaete Spiophanes
bombyx.

Inthe northeast comer of the sewage sludge disposal site, 25-35 m in depth, with medium to silty fine sand. Benthic
biomass levels ranged from 71 to 152 g/m’, and were dominated by capitellid polychaetes and rhynchocoels.

At the northeast edge of the Christiaensen Basin, 30-40 m in depth, with moderately contaminated, silty, fine sands.
Relatively high benthic biomass, generally above 200 g/m?, dominated by the same species as at area C.

On the northem edge of the Christiaensen Basin, 20-30 m deep, with silty sand. Benthic biomass variable, 36-1,048
g/m?, dominated by the anemone Ceriantheopsis americanus.

Anarea about 10 km east of the Christiaensen Basin, 25 m deep, with medium sand and moderate biomass levels,
greater than 100 g/m?, dominated by sand dollars, Echinarachnius.

Table 2. Summary of the 1982-85 diets of 389 winter flounder from the New York Bight apex, per collection area, by percent frequency
of occurrence (unidentifiable or nonorganic items not included). (See Table 16 for full taxonomic names and Figure 1 for area locations.)

Area
A B Cc D E F G Z
No. of samples see 31 96 77 48 52 42 32
Percent empty 34 13 10 14 2 21 9 20
Major items Ceriantheopsis 73 30 50 47 10 3 50
Hydrozoans 50 5 20 2 3 3
Cerebratulus 1 1 25 3 4 9
Solen sp. 50 1
Tellina 25
Polychaetes 17 8 3 3 15
Lumbrineris sp. 25 26 7 27 21 13 2 20
Pherusa 5 63 21 35 63 62 27
Nephtys sp. 33 2 20 5 9
Amphipods 17 5 1 3 1 8
Ovalipes 17
Minor items Yoldia, Echinarachnius parma, Cancer juveniles, Glycera sp., Diopatra, Crangon, Unciola sp., Ampelisca sp.,

and Leptocheirus.



Page 2

appropriate of a series of volume-graduated, variable-diam-
eter (0.5-2.5 cm) cylinders. The contents were then sorted
by type and identified, as far as possible. The percent
contribution of each prey or other content item to the total
stomach volume was estimated visually, each item type was
counted and measured (if possible), and digestion state
noted. Most prey in adult fish were readily identifiable by
the unaided eye of an observer familiar with the limited prey
types commonly encountered, or with a small degree of
magnification provided by a 2-3X hand lens. Very small or
questionable prey were preserved in shell vials for later
microscopic examination. Small or juvenile fish, and the
few lobsters collected, were not immediately examined, but
preserved in 10-percent buffered formalin for later micro-
scopic examination, because of the small size or masticated
condition of items in their stomachs. The advantages and
disadvantages of this diet analysis approach have been
teviewed and found to provide reasonable results (Hyslop
1980; Bowman 1982).

To verify the reported daily feeding patterns of
some common fish in the Bight apex, we collected
specimens about every four hours and examined their
stomach contents over a 24-hr period at area D.

RESULTS

Our analyses focused on five species: winter flounder,
silver hake, red hake, windowpane, and fourspot flounder.
These five species provided adequate data from several
areas for comparisons; limited results from 17 other species
examined are also briefly noted.

Winter flounder from the shoulders of the “Mud Hole”
(Figure 1, areas B, D, and E) and from the cleaner “control”
area (Figure 1, area Z) were feeding primarily on the
tentacular crowns of the tube-dwelling anemone
Ceriantheopsis americanus and the large polychaete worms
Lumbrineris acicularum and Pherusa affinis (Table 2). This
prey trio was common in fish from siltier areas (Figure 1,
areas C, F, and G), but with Pherusa being the over-
whelming dominant (Table 2). The few samples at a
shallower, sandy area off Sandy Hook (Figure 1, area A)
suggested a different diet dominated by small bivalve mol-
lusks and crustaceans; however, Lumbrineris was still im-
portant (Table 2).

Silver hake from all areas ate mainly the sevenspine bay
shrimp (Crangon septemspinosa), mysid shrimp (mostly
Neomysis americanus), and small fishes, including Ameri-
can sand lance and juvenile silver hake (Table 3). Various
amphipods and unidentifiable small fishes were minor com-
ponents of the diet.

Crangon shrimp were also the primary prey of red hake
examined fromall areas, but Pherusa was important at many
of the siltier areas (Figure 1, areas B, C, and E-G; Table 4).
Mysid shrimp, mostly Neomysis, and grammarid amphi-
pods were important at inshore area A. Other dietary items
of red hake included a range of benthic invertebrates, small

Jones Inlet

40°30-

are Skm. east
ristlaensert, zy

ch
/ Basin

sewage

j Sludge Cholera Bank
{ Dumpsite
ani ye 40°20!
Loe \
NEW. \ \ {
JERSEY ! N a
Lg \ i
\S  @ NN a
; So, meee
/ +
f 6,
\ %
4 as
JA 40°10
4 &
é Hy * |
i i
\ |
73/60" 7340"

Figure 1. Locations of 1982-85 trawl collections for diet analysis
and of reference areas in the New York Bight apex.

fishes, and squids.

Windowpane ate mostly mysid shrimp in all areas. The
bristled longbeak shrimp (Dichelopandalus leptocerus) and,
to a lesser degree, American sand lance were important in
the eastern areas (Figure 1, areas D - Z; Table 5). Polychaete
worms, small decapod crustaceans, the ribbon worm
Cerebratulus, and small fishes were other notable compo-
nents of the diet.

Fourspot flounder, collected only near the former 12-
mile sewage sludge disposal site (Figure 1, areas D, E, and
G), also ate mostly Neomysis and Crangon shrimps, small
fishes, and juvenile Cancer crabs (Table 6).

The stomach contents from limited collections of five
other predator species -- cunner, sea raven, summer floun-
der, yellowtail flounder, and American lobster (withn = 20+
for each species) -- are summarized in Table 7.

Of the species examined in smaller numbers, e.g.,
spotted hake, Atlantic cod, black sea bass, tautog, ocean
pout, and longhorn sculpin, all consumed mainly small or
juvenile Cancer crabs, Crangon shrimp, other large benthic
invertebrates, and small fishes. The few specimens of little
skate examined generally ate the same diverse small benthic
invertebrates that dominated the diets of winter and yel-
lowtail flounder, but with the addition of some small fishes.

The preliminary study of the 24-hr feeding cycle sug-


Page 5

Table 6. Summary of the 1982-85 diets of 73 fourspot flounder from the New York Bight apex, per collection area, by percent
frequency of occurrence (unidentified or nonorganic items not included). (See Table 16 for full taxonomic names and Figure 1 for
area locations.)

Area
D E G
No. of samples 50 14 9
Percent empty 12 50 44
Major items Mysids 23 25 40
Crangon 25 5 20
Cancer juveniles 21 15
Unidentified fish 3 5 40
Minor items Ensis, squid, American sand lance, unidentified flatfish, and unidentified decapods.

Table 7. Summary of the 1982-85 principal prey of other predators, with n = 20-40, in the New York Bight apex and the areas of
collection

Predator
Cunner Sea Raven Summer Yellowtail American
Flounder Flounder Lobster

No. of samples 39 32 20 31 33
Areas collected ABC BF CDG CFZ Cc
Principal prey Neomysis x x

Crangon x x

Cancer adults x

Cancer juveniles x x

Nucula sp. x x

Ovalipes x

Pherusa x x

Homarus juveniles x

Fish x x x

Squid x

Polychaetes x x x

Amphipods x x

Unidentified decapods x

Table 8. Results of the July 1983, area D, 24-hr feeding study for winter flounder; prey listed in relative order of importance based on
percent frequency of occurrence. (See Table 16 for full prey names; UOM = unidentified organic matter.)

Time
0800 1100 1500 1830 2300 0300
No. of samples u 10 10 10 10 10
Mean length (cm) 25.4 24.6 25.8 25.6 28.3 29.6
Percent empty 44 20 50 40 60 60
Mean total volume (cm?) 2.40 1.52 0.90 1.54 0.60 0.03
Relative fullness 0.09 0.07 0.03, 0.07 0.10 <0.01
Prey Ceriantheopsis Lumbrineris sp. Ceriantheopsis uUOM UOM UOM
Lumbrineris sp. UOM Lumbrineris sp. _ Polychaete (?) Cancer
Cancer Ceriantheopsis Cancer Ceriantheopsis
Solen sp. Polychaete (2) Polychaete (7)
Pherusa Cancer
Glycera sp.
Edotea

Rhynchocoel



B92157999
ii mT
NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-F/NEC-84

pe BO,

This TM series is used for documentation and timely communication of preliminary results,
interim reports, or special purpose information, and has not undergone external scientific
review.

Trophodynamics of Select Demersal
Fishes in the New York Bight

Frank W. Steimle and Russell Terranova
Sandy Hook Lab., National Marine Fisheries Serv., Highlands, NJ 07732

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Robert A. Mosbacher, Secretary
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
John A. Knauss, Administrator
National Marine Fisheries Service
William W. Fox, Jr., Assistant Administrator for Fisheries
Northeast Region
Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Woods Hole, Massachusetts

July 1991

Reerovuceoay: NITES.

US, Derariment of Commerce
National Technical information Service
‘Springfield, Virginia 22164


Page 8

Table 12. Comparison of the results of this silver hake diet study with the results of previous studies in the New York Bight apex’s
Christiaensen Basin (Schaefer 1960; Steimle 1985) and outside the apex in Southern New England waters (Bowman and Michaels 1984).
Data for the apex are presented as percent frequency of occurrence or percent total stomach volume (in parentheses); data for Southern.
New England are presented as percent total stomach weight. (“+” indicates less than one-percent contribution.)

Data Source
‘Schaefer (1960) ‘Steimle (1985) 1982-85 Bowman and Michaels
(1984)
No. of samples 261 235 188 918
Prey Polychaetes + 7 +
Mysids 10 64 24 (19) 1
Amphipods 1 3 + (+) +
Crangon 33 44 25 (15) 1
Squid 9 + 14
Herring 5 1
Silverside 1
American sand lance 2 7) +
Silver hake 21 1q) 8
Red hake 5
Unidentified fish 19 25 18 (14) s7

85 for the remaining two common predators, windowpane
and fourspot flounder, in the Bight apex. Comparison of
diet data for windowpane in the Bight apex with data in
other areas shows little differences in the dominant prey
(Table 14), with mysid and decapod shrimps being major
prey. These results are consistent with those of Moore
(1947), Richards (1963), and Hickey (1975), as well. The
results for fourspot flounder suggest some dietary differ-
ences between studies (Table 15); outside the Bight apex,
squids, euphausids, or Dichelopandalus shrimps were the
dominant prey.

The results and comparisons discussed above are pre-
liminary and may not be adequate to address the tentative
hypotheses of no difference or change in diets of the
predators examined. For example, Pennington etal. (1982)
suggest that over 300 Atlantic cod must be examined to
detect confidently a difference of at least 50 percent in the
means between two areas for a single size class, 90 percent
of the time with 95-percent confidence. Only the pooled
data for winter flounder might approach satisfying the
criteria used for cod; the sample size required for winter
flounder to detect a difference at the above level of confi-
dence could be different.

One result of the 1982-85 study is the prominence of a
few crustacean species, e.g., mysid and decapod shrimps, in
the diets of most predators. Although the importance of
epibenthic crustaceans in fish diets has been noted by others
(Whitfield 1988), they appear to be more prominent in the
Bight apex diets than outside the apex for some predator
species, e.g., silver hake, red hake, and fourspot flounder
(Tables 12, 13, and 15). Whether this is a consequence of
abundance or a factor of environmental conditions in the
apex, é.g., seasonal hypoxia that could inhibit burrowing by
Crangon, as suggested by Minello et al. (1987) for other
shrimp, or factors such as turbidity, is unknown at present.

Although some fresh or brackish water mysid shrimps
are highly sensitive to toxic chemicals and commonly used
in toxicity bioassays, the coastal species commonly used as
food by many fish in the Bight apex appear to be tolerant of
ambient conditions, as they have persisted as major dietary
components since at least the 1950s (Schaefer 1960).
Chapman et al. (1988) report that some marine species
commonly use sewage particles as food. Because mysids
require special epibenthic or suprabenthic sampling equip-
ment, little is known of their abundance or distribution in
the New York Bight apex. Their high frequency indietscan
suggest a high abundance in the apex, however (Allen
1988). This may apply to other important dietary crusta-
ceans not effectively sampled by the grab or trawl samplers
commonly used in biological assessment surveys. The
importance of these prey to fishery resources suggests that
they deserve more attention in studies of the potential
effects of habitat alterations.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

WethankR. Bowman, B. Phelan, J. Berrien, C. Steimle,
A. Pacheco, J. Rugg, F. Farwell, and reviewers for their
assistance in this study and report.

REFERENCES CITED

Allen, J.A. 1988. Frequency-dependent selection by preda-
tors. Phil. Trans. Royal Soc. London B319: 485-503.

Amold, E.L., and W.F. Royce. 1950. Observations of the
effects of acid-iron waste disposal at sea on animal
populations. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv. Spec. Sci. Rep.
Fish. 11. 12 pp.

y


between-area comparisons of the diets of the other four
common species also suggest more similarities than differ-
ences (Tables 3-6).

There are several assumptions to be considered that
relate to the validity of the conclusions suggested above,
ie., of little effect of solid-waste-contaminated benthic
habitat and forage on diets. For example, it is assumed that
stomach-contents are reasonably representative of the for-
age and environmental conditions in the areas where they
were collected. The predators examined here are not static
or stationary. Winter flounder have been reported to
“shamble” across the bottom at an average speed of about
1.44 kin/hr, if constantly moving (MacDonald 1983). The
preliminary conclusions of this study assume that the
predators we examined were not constantly on the move
between or through areas. Instead, they were feeding or
resting in the general area at the time of collection; several
species, e.g., flounders and red hake, have been reported to
feed where food is abundant, and to slow down or rest in or
near the feeding area after a large meal (Pearson et al.
1980).

Dietary data are also influenced by factors such as
differential digestion rates for various prey types (Klein-
MacPhee 1978; Durbin and Durbin 1980; MacDonald etal.
1982) which are known to affect most diet studies. The
stomach contents of daylight feeders, such as winter floun-
der (Olla et al. 1969), collected between 1000 to 1500,
when most collections were made, most probably included
items eaten within a few hours, as per the results of the 24-
hr study (Table 8). Thus, differential digestion as a factor
in interpreting the results would be minimal.

The diet data for the most contaminated areas, i.e., B-
G, compiled for overall comparison with data for less
contaminated or uncontaminated areas of the Bight or with
data from previous diet studies in the apex, also suggest
little differences in diet. The compiled diet data for winter
flounder from contaminated habitat, for example, com-
pared with the only previous diet study for this species in
the Bight apex, that of 1968-70 (Steimle 1985), suggest
only minor differences based on percent frequency of
occurrences of major prey (Table 11). The polychaete
worm Pherusa was the major prey in both data sets, with
some variability in the contribution of amphipod crusta-
ceans and the burrowing anemone Ceriantheopsis. The
abundance of the latter may have been underestimated in
the earlier study, as their banded, purple tentacular crowns,
the part usually nipped off and eaten, are easy to identify in
fresh stomachs, but lose color and disintegrate, to some
degree, when preserved, as they were in the stomachs of the
early study. The results of both Bight apex studies are
similar to those reported in other diet studies for winter
flounder in the New York Bight - Southern New England
area (Table 11) or Long Island Sound (Richards 1963).
Langton and Bowman’s (1981) data based on percent total
stomach weight should be reasonably comparable to the
volumetric data we report; the proportional comparisons
from either variable should be similar.

Page 7

Table 11. Comparison of the results of this winter flounder diet
study with the results of previous studies in the New York Bight
apex’s Christiaensen Basin (Steimle 1985) and outside the apex
in Southern New England waters (Langton and Bowman 1981).
Data for the apex are presented as percent frequency of occurrence
or percent total stomach volume (in parentheses); data for
Southern New England are presented as percent total stomach
weight. (“+” indicates less than one-percent contribution.)

Data Source
Steimle (1985) 1982-85 Langton
and
Bowman
(1981)
No. of samples 196 346 154
Prey Polychaetes 83" 75 (45) 39°
Isopods 13 + (4)
Amphipods 398 3 @y 4
Crangon 4 2 (4)
Bivalve mollusks 17 1 (+) 13
Ceriantheopsis 1 36 (26) 10
Hydrozoans 2 5 (2) +
Rhynchocoels 6 (1)
Cancer juveniles 3 + (4) 8

Mostly Pherusa affinis and Nephtys incisa.

Mostly Lumbrineris sp., Pherusa, and Nephtys sp.

Mostly sabellids, lumbrinerids, and nephtids.

Various species, including Unciola sp., Anonyx, Photis, Gammarus,
Leptocheirus, and caprellids.

Mostly Unciola sp., Ampelisca sp. and Leptocheirus.

Mostly siphons, but also whole Spiswla, Nucula sp., Yoldia, and
Arctica.

Mostly Nucula sp.

Comparison of the silver hake data from this study with
those of Schaefer (1960), the only previous study for the
apex, also shows no major differences or changes (Table
12). Schaefer’s data were from trawl-collected fish taken
during winter through spring of 1957-58 from the “Mud
Hole,” essentially area C (Figure 1). Crangon shrimps and
small fishes were major prey during both study periods,
with minor differences in the contributions of other prey,
e.g., polychaete worms, mysid shrimps, and squids (Table
12). Other silver hake diet studies in the New York Bight,
e.g., Jensen and Fritz (1960) and Richards (1963), also
report small crustaceans and fishes as major prey. The
results of the Southern New England study of Bowman and
Michaels (1984) differ from both Bight apex data sets,
especially inthe contribution of mysidand Crangonshrimps,
squids, and fishes (Table 12).

Both studies of red hake diets in the deep, most con-
taminated part of the Bight apex showed similar diets,
based primarily on polychaete worms, Crangon shrimps,
and small or juvenile Cancer crabs (Table 13), however,
there were proportional differences for other prey. This diet
is also similar to that reported elsewhere for red hake
(Richards 1963; Sedberry 1983; Luczkovich and Olla 1983).
Outside the apex, however, other prey such as squids and
small fishes were important (Bowman and Michaels 1984).

There are no reliable diet data prior to those of 1982-


Page 4

Table 3, Summary of the 1982-85 diets of 215 silver hake from the New York Bight apex, per collection area, by percent frequency of
occurrence (unidentified or nonotganic items not included). (See Table 16 for full taxonomic names and Figure 1 for area locations.)

Area
A B c D E F G Z

No. of samples 17 16 37 32 24 69 10 10
Percent empty 46 10 27 13 0 20 30 0
Major items Crangon 20 12 28 21 30 42 14 70

Unidentified fish 25 40 22 4 14 29

Dichelopandalus 8 5 4 23 3 10

Silver hake 25 4 4 50

American sand lance 13 6 3 5 14 10

Mysids 10 26 12 34 4 27 43 20

Unidentified decapods 40 2 3 9 10

Minor items cumaceans, Leptocheirus, Ampelisca sp., scup, anchovy, unidentified amphipods, gadid spp., and Unciola sp.

Table 4. Summary of the 1982-85 diets of 144 red hake from the New York Bight apex, per collection area, by percent frequency of
occurrence (unidentified or nonorganic items not included). (See Table 16 for full taxonomic names and Figure 1 for area locations.)

Area
A B c D E F G Z

No. of samples 10 15 61 4 14 37 2 1
Percent empty 0) 18 40 0 16 17 ) 100
Major items Crangon 80 72 4 100 59 28 50

Mysids 80 4 17 8

Leptocheirus 20 u 5

Pherusa 28 33 22 48 50

American sand lance 50 3

Cancer juveniles 50 18 9 5

Dichelopandalus 50 33 2

Amphipods (?) 50

Ceriantheopsis 21

Minor items unidentified fish, unidentified polychaetes, squid, Pagurus sp., Nucula sp., holothurian, Ampelisca sp.,
unidentified decapod, and Unciola sp.

Table 5. Summary of the 1982-85 diets of 131 windowpane from the New York Bight apex, per collection area, by percent frequency
of occurrence (unidentified or nonorganic items not included). (See Table 16 for full taxonomic names and Figure 1 for area locations.)

Area

a c D E F 6 Z

No. of samples 10 16 37 25 15 u 17
Percent empty 0 87 8 5 30 30 25
Major items Mysids 100 50 19 36 70 50 50
Crangon 28 18 40
Dichelopandalus 5 10 15 25 20

American sand lance 14 5 13 10

Unidentified decapod 29

Minor items thynchocoel, anchovy, silverside, unidentified polychaetes, and gadid.



Page iv

Table 16. List of common prey of fish and lobster in the New York Bight apex from pre-1986 data,
based on greater-than-10-percent frequency of occurrence in overall collections ....

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Location of 1982-85 trawl collections for diet analysis and of reference areas
in the New York Bight apex



IN

procedures and data processing methods utilized by the
Northeast Fisheries Center, Woods Hole Laboratory,
USA. Int. Counc. Explor. Sea CM [Comm. Mem.]
1980/L:61. 16 pp.

Luczkovich, J.J.,andB. Olla. 1983. Feeding behavior, prey
composition, and growth of juvenile red hake. Trans.
Amer. Fish, Soc. 112: 629-637.

MacDonald, J.S. 1983. Laboratory observations of feeding
behavior of the ocean pout (Macrozoarces americanus)
and winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus)
with reference to niche overlap of natural populations.
Can. J. Zool. 61: 539-546.

MacDonald, J.S., K.G. Waiwood, and R.H. Green. 1982.
Rates of digestion of different prey in Atlantic cod
(Gadus morhua), ocean pout (Macrozoarces
americanus), winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes
americanus) and American plaice (Hippoglossoides
platessoides). Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 39: 651-659.

Minello, T:J., R.J. Zimmerman, and E.X. Martinez. 1987.
Fish predation on juvenile brown shrimp, Penaeus
aztecus Ives: effects of turbidity and substratum on
predation rates. Fish. Bull., U.S. 85: 59-70.

Mohlenberg, F., and T. Kiorboe. 1983. Burrowing and
avoidance behavior in marine organisms exposed to
pesticide-contaminated sediment. Mar. Pollut. Bull.
14: 57-60.

Moore, E. 1947. Studies on the marine resources of
Southern New England. VI. The sand flounder,
Lophosettaaquosa(Mitchill). Bull. Bingham Oceanogr.
Collect. Yale Univ. 11: 1-79.

National Marine Fisheries Service. 1972. The effects of
waste disposal in the New York Bight. Final Report to
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Coastal Engineering
Research Center, Washington, D.C. Prepared by Na-
tional Marine Fisheries Service, Sandy Hook Labora-
tory, Highlands, N.J. 9 sections.

Olla, B.L., R. Wicklund, and S. Wilk. 1969. Behavior of
winter flounder ina natural habitat. Trans. Amer. Fish.
Soc. 98: 717-720.

Pearson, W.H., S.E. Miller, and B. Olla. 1980. Chemore-
ception in the food-searching and feeding behavior of
the red hake, Urophycis chuss (Walbaum). J. Exp.
Mar. Biol. Ecol. 48: 139-150.

Pennington, M., R. Bowman, and R. Langton. 1982. Vari-
ability of the weight of stomach contents of fishes and
its implication for food studies. Pages 1-7 in G.M.
Cailliet and C.A. Simenstad, eds. Gutshop ’81. Wash-
ington Sea Grant, Seattle, Wash.

Pentreath, R. 1976. The accumulation of mercury from food
by the plaice, Pleuronectes platessa L. J. Exp. Mar.
Biol. Ecol. 25: 51-65.

Pizza, J.,andJ.O’Connor. 1983. PCB dynamics in Hudson
River striped bass. II. Accumulation from dietary
sources. Aquat. Toxicol. (Amst.) 3: 313-327.

Redfield, A.C., and L.A. Walford. 1951. A study of the
disposal of chemical waste at sea. Nat. Acad. Sci. Publ.
201. 49 pp.

Page 11

Reid, R.N., J. O'Reilly, and V. Zdanowicz. 1982. Contami-
nants in New York Bight and Long Island Sound
sediments and demersal species, and contaminant ef-
fects on benthos, summer 1980. NOAA [Nat. Ocean.
Atmos. Admin.] Tech. Mem. NMFS [Nat. Mar. Fish.
Serv.]-F/NEC-16. 96 pp.

Richards, S.W. 1963. The demersal fish population of Long
Island Sound. III. Food of juveniles from a mud locality
(station 3a). Bull. Bingham Oceanogr. Collect. Yale
Univ. 18: 73-93.

Robins, C.R. (chair), R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker,
E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Com-
mon and scientific names of fishes from the United
States and Canada, 5th ed. Amer. Fish. Soc. Spec. Publ.
20. 183 pp.

Schaefer, R.H. 1960. Growth and feeding habits of the
whiting or silver hake in the New York Bight. N.Y. Fish
Game J. 7: 85-98.

Sedberry,G.R. 1983. Food habits and trophic relationships
of acommunity of fishes on the outer continental shelf.
NOAA [Nat. Ocean. Atmos. Admin.] Tech. Rep. NMFS
[Nat. Mar. Fish. Serv.] SSRF [Spec. Sci. Rep. Fish.]-
773. 56 pp.

Squires, D.F. 1981. The Bight of the big apple. New York
Sea Grant Institute, Albany, N.Y. 84 pp.

Steimle, F. 1985. Biomass and estimated productivity of the
benthic macrofauna in the New York Bight: a stressed
coastal area. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 21: 539-554.

Steimle, F., J. Caracciolo, and J.B. Pearce. 1982. Impacts
of dumping on New York Bight apex benthos. Pages
213-224 in G.F. Mayer, ed. Ecological stress and the
New York Bight: science and management. Estuarine
Research Federation, Columbia, S.C.

Steimle, F.,and L. Ogren. 1982. Food of fishes collected on
artificial reefs in the New York Bight and off Charles-
ton, South Carolina. Mar. Fish. Rev. 44: 49-52.

Turgeon, D.D. (chair), A.E. Bogan, E.V. Coan, W.K.
Emerson, W.G. Lyons, W.L. Pratt, C.F.E. Roper, A.
Scheltema, F.G. Thompson, and J.D. Williams. 1988.
Common and scientific names of aquatic invertebrates
from the United States and Canada: mollusks. Amer.
Fish. Soc. Spec. Publ. 16. 277 pp.

Westman, J.R. 1949. Pollution: case history. N.Y. State
Conserv. 3: 8-9.

Whitfield, AK. 1988. The fish community of the Swartvlei
Estuary and the influence of food availability on re-
source utilization. Estuaries 11: 160-170.

Williams, A.B. (chair), L.G. Abele, D.L. Felder, H.H.
Hobbs, Jr., R.B. Manning, P.A. McLaughlin, and I.
Pérez Farfante. 1989. Common and scientific names of
aquatic invertebrates from the United States and Canada:
decapod crustaceans. Amer. Fish. Soc. Spec. Publ. 17.
77 pp.

Willis, J., and W. Sunda. 1984. Relative contributions of
food and water in the accumulation of zinc by two
species of marine fish. Mar. Biol. 80: 273-279.

YE Us S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1992-~500-031--4 0004


Page iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract ....
Introduction .
Methods
Result:
Discussion
Acknowledgment
References Cited

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Habitat characteristics of New York Bight apex demersal predator collection areas based

on Reid et al. (1982), Steimle (1985), and others ......
Table 2. Summary of the 1982-85 diets of 389 winter flounder from the New York

per collection area, by percent frequency of occurrence .....
Table 3. Summary of the 1982-85 diets of 215 silver hake from the New York Bight apex,

per collection area, by percent frequency of occurrence
Table 4. Summary of the 1982-85 diets of 144 red hake from the New York Bight apex,

per collection area, by percent frequency of occurrence .....
Table 5. Summary of the 1982-85 diets of 131 windowpane from the New York Bight apex,

per collection area, by percent frequency of occurrence .....
Table 6. Summary of the 1982-85 diets of 73 fourspot flounder from the New York Bight apex,

per collection area, by percent frequency of occurrence
Table 7. Summary of the 1982-85 principal prey of other predators, with n = 20-40,

from the New York Bight apex and the areas of collection ....
Table 8. Results of the July 1983, area D, 24-hr feeding study for winter flounder, prey listed

in relative order of importance based on percent frequency of occurrence
Table 9. Results of the July 1983, area D, 24-hr feeding study for windowpane; prey listed

in relative order of importance based on percent frequency of occurrence
Table 10. Results of the July 1983, area D, 24-hr feeding study for fourspot flounder;

prey listed in relative order of importance based on percent frequency of occurrence......
Table 11. Comparison of the results of this winter flounder diet study with the results of

previous studies in the New York Bight apex’s Christiaensen Basin and outside

the apex in Southern New England waters. Data for the apex are presented as percent

frequency of occurrence or percent total stomach volume (in parentheses); data for

Southern New England are presented as percent total stomach weight.....
Table 12. Comparison of the results of this silver hake diet study with the results of previous studies

in the New York Bight apex’s Christiaensen Basin and outside the apex in

Southern New England waters. Data for the apex are presented as percent frequency

of occurrence or percent total stomach volume; data for Southern New England

are presented as percent total stomach weight ...
Table 13. Comparison of the results of this red hake diet study with the results of previous studies

in the New York Bight apex’s Christiaensen Basin and outside the apex in

Southern New England waters. Data for the apex are presented as percent frequency

of occurrence or percent total stomach volume; data for Southern New England

are presented as percent total stomach weight
Table 14. Comparison of the results of this windowpane diet study in the New York Bight apex’s

Christiaensen Basin with the results of a previous study outside the apex in Southern New England

waters. Data for the apex are presented as percent total stomach volume; data for

Southern New England are presented as percent total stomach weight...
Table 15. Comparison of the results of this fourspot flounder diet study in the New York Bight apex’s

Christiaensen Basin with a previous study outside the apex in Southern New England waters.

Data for the apex are presented as percent total stomach volume; data for Southern New England

are presented as percent total stomach weight



Page ii
NOTE ON SPECIES NAMES

The Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s policy on the use of species names in technical publications and reports
is to follow the American Fisheries Society’s (AFS) lists of common and scientific names for fishes (Robins et
al. 1991), mollusks (Turgeon et al. 1988), and decapod crustaceans (Williams et al. 1989). This policy applies
to all issues of the NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-F/NEC series.


IN

Table 13. Comparison of the results of this red hake diet study
with the results of previous studies in the New York Bight apex’s
Christiaensen Basin (Steimle 1985) and outside the apex in
Southern New England waters (Bowman and Michaels 1984).
Data for the apex are presented as percent frequency of occurrence
or percent total stomach volume (in parentheses); data for
Southern New England are presented as percent total stomach
weight. (“+" indicates less than one-percent contribution.)

Page 9

Table 14. Comparison of the results of this windowpane diet
study inthe New York Bight apex’s Christiaensen Basin with the
results of a previous study outside the apex in Southern New
England waters (Langton and Bowman 1981). Data for the apex
are presented as percent total stomach volume; data for Southern
New England are presented as percent total stomach weight.
(“+” indicates less than one-percent contribution.)

Data Source Data Source
Steimle 1982-85 Bowman & 1982-85 Langton and
(1985) Michaels Bowman
(1984) (1981)
No. of samples 219 133 481 No. of samples 104 318
Prey Ceriantheopsis 3 4(1) Prey Mysids 79 51
Polychaetes 43" 33 (22) 4 Crangon 3 3
Amphipods 24 3d) Ss Dichelopandalus 7 34
Mysids 39 5 G3) American sand lance 5
Crangon 70 52 (23) 3 Crabs 5 +
Dichelopandalus 14 6) 8 Squid 2
Crabs 17 14 (4) 4 Fish + 3
Bivalve mollusks 2 + (+) 3
Squid 1 + (+) il
Fish 5 10 By 38

* Mostly Pherusa and Nephtys incisa.
» Mostly Cancer juveniles.
* Mostly American sand lance.

Atchison, G.J.,M.G. Henry, and M.B. Sandheimrich. 1987.
Effects of metals on fish behavior: a review. Environ.
Biol. Fishes 18: 11-25.

Bowman, R.E. 1982. Preliminary evaluation of the results
of analysis of the stomach contents of silver hake
(Merluccius bilinearis) aboard ship and in the labora-
tory ashore. [Nat. Mar. Fish. Serv., Northe. Fish. Ctr.,]
Woods Hole Lab. Ref. Doc. No. 82-25. 13 pp.

Bowman, R.E., and W.L. Michaels. 1984. Food of seven-
teen species of Northwest Atlantic fish. NOAA [Nat.
Ocean. Atmos. Admin.] Tech. Mem. NMFS [Nat. Mar.
Fish. Serv.]-F/NEC-28. 183 pp.

Chapman, D.V., S.L. White, P.S. Rainbow, and M. Taylor.
1988. Interactions between marine crustaceans and
digested sewage sludge. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 19: 115-
119.

Durbin, E.G., and A.G. Durbin. 1980. Some factors
affecting gastric evacuation rates in fishes. Int. Counc.
Explor. Sea CM [Comm. Mem.] 1980/L:59. 10 pp.

Fletcher, G.L., J.W. Kiceniuk, and J.P. Williams. 1981.
Effects of oiled sediments on mortality, feeding and
growth of winter flounder Pseudopleuronectes
americanus. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 4: 91-96.

Hickey, C.R., Jr. 1975. Fish behavior as revealed through
stomach content analysis. N.Y. Fish Game J. 22: 148-
155.

Hyslop, E.J. 1980. Stomach contents analysis -- a review
of methods and their application. J. Fish Biol. 17: 411-
429.

Table 15. Comparisonof the results of this fourspot flounder diet
study inthe New York Bight apex’s Christiaensen Basin with the
results of a previous study outside the apex in Souther New
England waters (Langton and Bowman 1981). Data for the apex
are presented as percent total stomach volume; data for Southern
New England are presented as percent total stomach weight.
(“+” indicates less than one-percent contribution.)

Data Source
1982-85 Langton & Bowman
(1981)
No. of samples 73 768
Prey Mysids 25 +
Crangon 14 3
Cancer juveniles 8 7
Fish 16 35
Dichelopandalus 8
Euphausids 6
Squid + 25

Jensen, A.C., and R.L. Fritz. 1960. Observations on the
stomach contents of silver hake. Trans. Amer. Fish.
Soc. 89: 239-240.

Klein-MacPhee, G. 1978. Synopsis of biological data for
the winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus
(Walbaum). NOAA [Nat. Ocean. Atmos. Admin.] Tech.
Rep. NMFS [Nat. Mar. Fish. Serv.] Circ. 414. 43 pp.

Langton, R.W., and R.E. Bowman. 1981. Food of eight
Northwest Atlantic pleuronectiform fishes. NOAA
(Nat. Ocean. Atmos. Admin.] Tech. Rep. NMFS [Nat.
Mar. Fish. Serv.] SSRF [Spec. Sci. Rep. Fish.]-749. 16

Pp-
Langton, R.W., B.M. North, B.P. Hayden, and R.E. Bow-
man. 1980. Fish food-habits studies -- sampling