Food habits of the sandbar shark Carcharhinus plumbeus off the U.S. northeast coast, with estimates of daily ration

Food habits data from 415 sandbar sharks collected in the area between Cape Hatteras and Georges Bank (Great South Channel) were examined. Mean fork length (FL) and body weight (BW) were 55.0 cm and 1.72 kg for pups, 123.0 cm and 23.0 kg for juveniles, and 166.0 cm and 52.3 kg for adults. Of all juvenile and adult stomachs, 49% contained prey, primarily fish (teleosts and skates). Of stomachs from pups, 80% held food remains consisting almost exclusively of soft blue crabs. The mean percentage of stomach content volume to BW is 1.16 for pups, and 0.42 for juveniles and adults. Daily ration estimates as percentage of mean BW are 1.43 for pups, and 0.86 for juveniles and adults. Annual food consumption is estimated to be 5.1 times the mean BW for pups, and 3.1 times for juveniles and adults.