Abstract
Understanding whether fishes feed selectively is important for informing conservation and management actions such as selecting receiving waters for stocked fishes and prioritizing nursery habitats for preservation or restoration. We conducted a laboratory experiment to determine if (1) age-0 muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) and northern pike (E. lucius), two primarily piscivorous congeners in the Laurentian Great Lakes, fed selectively among four prey species (bluntnose minnow [Pimephales notatus], johnny darter [Etheostoma nigrum], rock bass [Ambloplites rupestris], and yellow perch [Perca flavescens]) with different anti-predator behaviors and morphologies, and (2) prey selection and time to consumption differed between predators. Muskellunge strongly selected bluntnose minnow and avoided the other prey species. Northern pike also strongly selected bluntnose minnow and avoided johnny darter and rock bass, but exhibited slight avoidance to neutral selection of yellow perch. Mean time to consumption differed between species, with northern pike feeding more quickly than muskellunge. Further controlled experimentation is needed to reveal whether growth and survival differs when these predators consume preferred vs. non-preferred prey. In the interim, we recommend managers presume nursery habitats with soft-rayed, fusiform, non-demersal prey fishes are most likely to support growth and survival of age-0 muskellunge and northern pike.
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