Dry-weight energy density of prey fishes from nearshore waters of the upper Niagara River and Buffalo Harbor, New York

Energy density of prey fishes can affect the survival, growth, and fitness of piscivorous fishes, and these vital rates may change – for better or worse – after fish communities are altered by the establishment of new species. Invasive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) and rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus) are highly abundant in the upper Niagara River and Buffalo Harbor and serve as alternative food for piscivores. However, there is a paucity of information on the energy density of native and invasive prey fishes in these waters. To better understand the energy density of available prey fishes in nearshore areas of the upper Niagara River and Buffalo Harbor, we compared the energy densities of: (1) native fishes and invasive fishes, (2) age-0 and yearling-and-older conspecific fishes, and (3) upper Niagara River and Buffalo Harbor conspecific fishes. Fishes were collected from New York waters of the upper Niagara River and Buffalo Harbor during early August through mid-September 2013. We combusted fishes in a bomb calorimeter to determine dry-weight energy densities (J/g) for two invasive and eight native species. Energy densities were dependent on an interaction between fish species and age group, and did not differ between the upper Niagara River and Buffalo Harbor. Yearling-and-older spottail shiner (Notropis hudsonius) had a significantly higher energy density than all other species examined and was the only species with a significant difference in energy density between age classes. Rudd had an energy density similar to most native fishes; and, although not significantly lower, round goby energy density was lower than most native fishes. Our energy density estimates can be used to better understand mechanisms affecting growth and condition of piscivorous fishes in the upper Niagara River and Buffalo Harbor.