Stomach content analyses were performed on 213 striped bass (11.480.0 mm TL) collected from culture ponds at the Front Royal Fish Cultural Station, Virginia, during the 1969 and 1970 rearing seasons. Cladocerans (families Sididae, Daphnidae and Bosminidae) constituted the major portion of the diet of these fish with copepods (family Cyclopidae) and insects (family Chironomidae) also being important food organisms. Cladoceran abundance in the stomachs increased after the bass were 30-40 mm long, while copepod abundance decreased and insect abundance remained relatively stable. The fish negatively selected Brachionidae (rotifers) and copepod nauplii. Daphnidae and Bosminidae were positively selected and Cyclopidae was eaten in relation to its abundance in the ponds. Sididae was positively selected when present in small numbers, but eaten in proportion to its abundance when present in large numbers.
