FOOD-HABITS OF ATLANTIC STURGEON OFF THE CENTRAL NEW-JERSEY COAST

Limited information exists on the marine diet of the Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinhcus. We examined the food habits of 275 A tlantic sturgeon (total length, 106-203 cm) caught in the commercial f ishery off the coast of New Jersey. Stomachs were provided by fisherme n. Significantly more stomachs were empty in the spring than in the fa ll. Sand and organic debris were a major component in the stomachs (26 .3-75.4% by weight). Polycheates were the primary prey group consumed, although the isopod Politolana concharum was the most important indiv idual prey eaten. Mollusks and fish contributed little to the diet. So me prey taxa (i.e., polychaetes, isopods, amphipods) exhibited seasona l variation in importance in the diet of Atlantic sturgeon. Identifica tion of the offshore diet of Atlantic sturgeon is an important step in developing a better understanding of the life history requirements an d marine ecology of this species.