Diets of White Bass in the Ohio Waters of Lake Erie during June–October 1988

Abstract

Although white bass Morone chrysops support a valuable commercial fishery in Lake Erie, little is documented about their diets, growth, abundance, or other population characteristics. This study sought to describe the growth and feeding habits of 1-year-old and older white bass in the Ohio waters of Lake Erie. Between 13 June and 31 October 1988, I sampled 246 white bass ranging from 158 to 332 mm in total length. White bass were primarily piscivorous, feeding on shiners (Notropis spp.), white perch M. americana yellow perch Perca flavescens and chironomids in June but shifting to primarily gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum during July–October (56–97%). Prey sizes of white bass reflected the change from a large number, but low biomass, of invertebrates in June and July (mean size, 3.15 and 6.45 mm, respectively) to mostly age-0 prey fish in August through October (mean prey size, 50.97–85.27 mm). During this time, growth of white bass was nearly linear. Walleye Stizostedion vitreum is the dominant piscivore in Lake Erie. Due to the importance of gizzard shad in the walleye diet, this species has been suggested as the cornerstone of walleye production in Lake Erie. The high use of gizzard shad by white bass throughout most of the growing season lends further support to the belief that gizzard shad were the cornerstone of piscivore production in western Lake Erie during the late 1980s.