Effects of Commercial Entanglement Gear on Striped Bass. Part 4: Feeding, Growth, and Competitive Interrelationships of 'Morone chrysops' (Rafinesque) and 'Morone mississippiensis' (Jordan and Eigenmann) in Watts Bar Reservoir, Tennessee

摘要

Possible competitive interrelationships between the white bass, Morone chrysops and the yellow bass, Morone mississippiensis were evaluated by means of age and growth analysis, stomach content analysis, liversomatic and gonosomatic indexes, and habitat preference analysis. Growth of the white bass and the yellow bass was similar for the first five to six months of life after which the white bass grew much faster. The food habits of these two species was similar during the early stages of life, but young white bass consumed a greater proportion of larger organisms than did young yellow bass. Competition for habitat was exhibited by young-of-the-year of both species and possibly by the adults.