Diets of young king and Spanish mackerel off the southeast United States

Abstract

Carangids, clupeids and engraulids occurred in 23, 7 and 9% of larval and post-larval Scomberomorus cavalla stomachs and in 20, 40 and 7% of larval and post-larval S. maculatus stomachs, respectively. Sciaenids were also common in king mackerel, occurring in 21% of the stomachs. Prey fishes included the genera Cynoscion, Caranx and Anchoa, and the species Opisthonema oglinum. The dominant prey items for juvenile mackerels from the Atlantic were engraulids, clupeids, balistids, and squids, collectively accounting for 73.3% by volume of the diet of king mackerel and 88.8% of Spanish mackerel. -from Authors