Diet of double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) wintering on the central Texas coast

Diets of double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) wintering on the central Texas coast were determined from the contents of 51 stomachs from Lavaca Bay and 28 stomachs from upper Laguna Madre. Diets consisted primarily of striped mullet (Mugil cephalus) and Gulf menhaden (Brevoortia patronus) in Lavaca Bay and striped mullet and Gulf toadfish (Opsanus beta) in upper Laguna Madre. Birds seemed to prefer striped mullet in both bays, and these fish were significantly larger than the other fish consumed. There were no differences between bays in the numbers of fish in bird stomachs; however, fish consumed by birds in upper Laguna Madre were larger than those taken by birds in Lavaca Bay. Based on the results of this study, there is no evidence that double-crested cormorants pose a significant threat to commercial or sport fisheries on the Texas Gulf Coast.