33 Feeding guilds by management bodies

Description: Classification of species guild membership by management bodies.

Indicator family:

• Megafauna
• Economic

Contributor(s): Sarah Gaichas and Sean Lucey.

Affiliations: NEFSC

33.1 Introduction to Indicator

Feeding guilds are groups of species that feed similarly. At the ecosystem level, the food web is likely stable if overall biomass of feeding groups is stable over time, even if populations of species within the groups may be changing.

We defined feeding guilds for fish and invertebrates captured by bottom trawl surveys using diet similarity, either from diet analysis or from literature [57,58], and see NEFSC food habits online

33.2 Key Results and Visualizations

Each management body (MAFMC, NEFSC, State etc) has its managed species associated with different feeding guilds. This data set shows which managed species for each management body are in which guilds.

33.2.1 MidAtlantic

``` ```{=html}

(\#tab:plot_species_groupingsMidAtlantic2024)Feeding guilds and management bodies.

Guild	MAFMC	Joint	NEFMC	State or Other
apex predator				shark uncl, swordfish, yellowfin tuna, bluefin tuna
piscivore	summer flounder, bluefish, northern shortfin squid, longfin squid	spiny dogfish, goosefish	winter skate, clearnose skate, thorny skate, offshore hake, silver hake, atlantic cod, pollock, white hake, red hake, atlantic halibut, acadian redfish	sea lamprey, sandbar shark, atlantic angel shark, atlantic torpedo, conger eel, spotted hake, cusk, fourspot flounder, windowpane, john dory, atlantic cutlassfish, blue runner, striped bass, weakfish, sea raven, northern stargazer, banded rudderfish, atlantic sharpnose shark, inshore lizardfish, atlantic brief squid, northern sennet, king mackerel, spanish mackerel
planktivore	atlantic mackerel, butterfish		atlantic herring	harvestfishes, smelts, round herring, alewife, blueback herring, american shad, menhaden, bay anchovy, striped anchovy, rainbow smelt, atlantic argentine, slender snipe eel, atlantic silverside, northern pipefish, chub mackerel, atlantic moonfish, lookdown, blackbelly rosefish, lumpfish, northern sand lance, atlantic saury, mackerel scad, bigeye scad, round scad, rough scad, silver rag, weitzmans pearlsides, atlantic soft pout, sevenspine bay shrimp, pink glass shrimp, polar lebbeid, friendly blade shrimp, bristled longbeak, aesop shrimp, norwegian shrimp, northern shrimp, brown rock shrimp, atlantic thread herring, spanish sardine, atlantic bumper, harvestfish, striated argentine, silver anchovy
benthivore	black sea bass, scup, tilefish		barndoor skate, rosette skate, little skate, smooth skate, haddock, american plaice, yellowtail flounder, winter flounder, witch flounder, ocean pout, crab,red deepsea	crab,unc, hagfish, porgy,red, sea bass,nk, atlantic hagfish, roughtail stingray, smooth dogfish, chain dogfish, bluntnose stingray, bullnose ray, southern stingray, longfin hake, fourbeard rockling, marlin-spike, gulf stream flounder, longspine snipefish, blackmouth bass, threespine stickleback, smallmouth flounder, hogchoker, bigeye, atlantic croaker, pigfish, northern kingfish, silver perch, spot, deepbody boarfish, sculpin uncl, moustache sculpin, longhorn sculpin, alligatorfish, grubby, atlantic seasnail, northern searobin, striped searobin, armored searobin, cunner, tautog, snakeblenny, daubed shanny, radiated shanny, red goatfish, striped cusk-eel, wolf eelpout, wrymouth, atlantic wolffish, fawn cusk-eel, northern puffer, striped burrfish, planehead filefish, gray triggerfish, shortnose greeneye, beardfish, cownose ray, american lobster, cancer crab uncl, jonah crab, atlantic rock crab, blue crab, spider crab uncl, horseshoe crab, coarsehand lady crab, lady crab, northern stone crab, snow crab, spiny butterfly ray, smooth butterfly ray, snakefish, atlantic midshipman, bank cusk-eel, red cornetfish, squid cuttlefish and octopod uncl, spoonarm octopus, bank sea bass, rock sea bass, sand perch, cobia, crevalle jack, vermilion snapper, tomtate, jolthead porgy, saucereye porgy, whitebone porgy, knobbed porgy, sheepshead porgy, littlehead porgy, silver porgy, pinfish, red porgy, porgy and pinfish uncl, banded drum, southern kingfish, atlantic spadefish, leopard searobin, dusky flounder, triggerfish filefish uncl, blackcheek tonguefish, orange filefish, queen triggerfish, ocean triggerfish
benthos	atlantic surfclam, ocean quahog		sea scallop	sea cucumber, sea urchins, snails(conchs), sea urchin and sand dollar uncl, channeled whelk, blue mussel

33.2.2 NewEngland

#> [1] "Same figure for both regions"

33.3 Indicator statistics

Spatial scale: Coastwide

Temporal scale: N/A

Synthesis Theme:

33.4 Implications

We changed species groupings in response to comments over the years. The table shows feeding guilds used in the 2024 report.

33.5 Get the data

Point of contact: Sarah.Gaichas@noaa.gov

ecodata name: ecodata::species_groupings

Variable definitions

1. SOE.24 = Feeding guild definitions for State of the Ecosystem report (2024)

2. MAFMC = Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council - list of managed species by feeding guild

3. NEFMC = New England Fishery Management Council - list of managed species by feeding guild

4. Joint = Jointly managed species by feeding guild

5. State or Other = Species managed by other bodies listed by feeding guild

Indicator Category:

• Database pull with analysis

33.6 Public Availability

Source data are publicly available.

33.7 Accessibility and Constraints

No response

tech-doc link https://noaa-edab.github.io/tech-doc/species_groupings.html