FEEDING PATTERNS OF THE LONG-FINNED SQUID, LOLIGO PEALEI, IN NEW ENGLAND WATERS

¹ Narragansett Mussel Co., 146 Main St., North Kingstown, RI 02852

Gut content analyses have shown that the diet of the long-finned squid, Loligo pealei, differs between inshore spawning and nursery grounds and offshore winter grounds. In this study, squid were collected inshore from May through November in lower Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island and offshore during winter along the continental shelf between Cape Hatteras and Cap Cod. In both collections crustaceans were more frequently consumed than either fish or squid, but fish were eaten by a wider size range of squid and more frequently inshore. Prey-type selection based on size was common in both samples, but it is unlikely that the species composition is the same in both areas. These data suggest that L. pealei is a highly opportunistic predator, whose diet primarily reflects the local abundance of potential prey species. Such a flexible feeding strategy could account for the large spatial and temporal variations which have been reported in the diet of this squid from various offshore areas.