| Summary: | The trophic interactions of the red drum Sciaenops ocellatus have been previously researched. However diet data on the largest adults (>750mm TL) are very limited. As fisheries management moves towards a goal of multi-species and ecosystem-based strategies, information on trophic inter-relationships of the system must be characterized for effective understanding and application to future modelling efforts and management decisions. Predatory effects on forage species are an important component of this, and examining the diet of the predator is the most efficient way to identify prey species interactions and potential removal rates through predation mortality. Red drum abundance has increased since the implementation of more conservative management strategies and major decreases in commercial fishing effort on the species. Because of these changes in abundance and the lack of diet data for larger adult red drum, this study was conducted to identify the trophic relationships and potential forage species effects of these predators. This study will 1) Identify, classify, and compare diets of large adult red drum in North Carolina and South Carolina and 2) synthesize a pooled standardized diet composition from all previously published red drum diet studies across its range (excluding larvae). First, the trophic relationships of large adult red drum (>750mm TL), Sciaenops ocellatus, in the coastal waters of South Carolina (N=146) and North Carolina (N=51), from 2007-2011 were examined. Stomach samples were collected by North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries and South Carolina Department of Natural Resources during their annual fall longline surveys. Red drum in North Carolina fed predominantly on blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) which made up 51% of the diet by number and occurred in 48% of the stomachs. The diet of red drum in South Carolina was more diverse that in North Carolina, where red drum consumed mostly Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) and a diverse group of marine decapods and brachyurans. ...
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