Feeding Habits and Mouth Morphology of Young Silver Perch (Bairdiella chrysoura) from the North-Central Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

We examined predator-prey relationships of young Bairdiella chrysoura (Silver Perch) collected in Mississippi Sound by comparing the diet to fish standard length (2.5–30.0 mm SL) and mouth width (MW). Silver Perch displayed a diel feeding pattern, with the most active feeding occurring from midnight until noon. As Silver Perch SL increased, prey number, frequency, and volume plus prey width increased. Calanoid copepods and mysid shrimp were the dominant prey, with mysids becoming prominent as Silver Perch SL increased. Cluster analysis supported this pattern as Silver Perch ≤5 mm SL consumed a homogenous material and a few copepods, fish 5–10 mm SL preyed upon calanoid copepods, and then fish in larger size classes shifted their diet to mysid shrimp as MW increased and fish became more robust. Silver Perch SL was linearly related to MW (MW = 0.097 [SL] 0.245; r2 = 0.891).