Digital Commons Network^™

Aquaculture Governance: Five Engagement Arenas For Sustainability Transformation, Darien D. Mizuta, Stefan Partelow

VIMS Articles

A greater focus on governance is needed to facilitate effective and substantive progress toward sustainability transformations in the aquaculture sector. Concerted governance efforts can help move the sector beyond fragmented technical questions associated with intensification and expansion, social and environmental impacts, and toward system-based approaches that address interconnected sustainability issues. Through a review and expert-elicitation process, we identify five engagement arenas to advance a governance agenda for aquaculture sustainability transformation: (1) setting sustainability transformation goals, (2) cross-sectoral linkages, (3) land–water–sea connectivity, (4) knowledge and innovation, and (5) value chains. We then outline the roles different actors and modes of …

Fecal Pellet Production By North Atlantic Zooplankton, Michael Gibson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Fecal pellet carbon (FPC) production by zooplankton is a significant component of the ocean’s biological carbon pump: the suite of biological processes that mediate export of carbon to the deep ocean, ultimately leading to the sequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide in the ocean. In this study, mesozooplankton (zooplankton 0.2 mm to ~2 cm) were collected from the epipelagic zone in the temperate North Atlantic Ocean during day and night in May 2021. Zooplankton were live separated into five size fractions and incubated on board ship in natural surface seawater to measure fecal pellet production rate of the mixed mesozooplankton community. …

Life History Of Two Goatfishes In Hawaii And Alternative Methodologies In Life History Research, Duncan Campbell

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Data-driven management of fisheries requires information on the life history of the species being managed. I provide new information on the life histories of two goatfish species in Hawaiʻi, Parupeneus insularis and Parupeneus cyclostomus. Fish were collected using spearfishing from the reefs of Oʻahu between 2020 and 2023. Macroscopic and microscopic methods of assigning maturity and reproductive stage were used to estimate size at maturity and seasonality. Parapeneus insularis females are estimated to reach 50% maturity at 188 mm fork length (95% CI: 177mm, 197mm), and 95% maturity at 245 mm FL (95% CI: 226mm, 287mm). P. cyclostomus females reach …

Temporal Variability Of Microbial Response To Crude Oil Exposure In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Melissa L. Brock, Rachel Richardson, Melissa Ederington-Hagy, Lisa Nigro, Richard A. Snyder, Wade H. Jeffrey

VIMS Articles

Oil spills are common occurrences in the United States and can result in extensive ecological damage. The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was the largest accidental spill recorded. Many studies were performed in deep water habitats to understand the microbial response to the released crude oil. However, much less is known about how planktonic coastal communities respond to oil spills and whether that response might vary over the course of the year. Understanding this temporal variability would lend additional insight into how coastal Florida habitats may have responded to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. To …

Campus Map Virginia Institute Of Marine Science, William & Mary Gloucester Point February 2023, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Miscellaneous

No abstract provided.

Hard-Bottom Habitats Support Commercially Important Fish Species: A Systematic Review For The North Atlantic Ocean And Baltic Sea, Hugo Flávio, Rochelle D. Seitz, David Eggleston, Jon C. Svendsen, Josianne Støttrup

VIMS Articles

Hard-bottom habitats span a range of natural substrates (e.g., boulders, cobble) and artificial habitats (e.g., the base of wind turbines, oil platforms). These hard-bottom habitats can provide a variety of ecosystem services, ranging from the enhancement of fish biomass and production to providing erosion control. Management decisions regarding the construction or fate of hard-bottom habitats require information on the ecological functions of these habitats, particularly for species targeted in ecosystem-based fisheries management. This study provides a systematic review of the relationships of various hard-bottom habitats to individual commercially harvested species that are managed jointly across the Atlantic by the International …

Succession Of The Late Summer Phytoplankton Blooms In The York River Estuary, Va, Heather Kathleen Corson

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The influence of bottom-up and top-down controls on the formation and persistence of phytoplankton blooms has been well studied. However, the relative importance of these bottom-up and top-down controls vary spatially and temporally. In the tidal tributaries and mainstem of Chesapeake Bay, the summer dinoflagellate population follows a succession of bloom-producing species. The dinoflagellate species Margalefidinium polykrikoides and Alexandrium monilatum are currently considered the end of this succession. These species form near-annual blooms in the lower half of Chesapeake Bay and are considered harmful algal bloom (HAB) species due to their negative ecological impacts. However, analysis of long-term monitoring data …

Property Owner Shoreline Modification Decisions Vary Based On Their Perceptions Of Shoreline Change And Interests In Ecological Benefits, Amanda Guthrie, Sarah L. Stafford, Andrew M. Scheld, Karinna Nunez, Donna M. Bilkovic

VIMS Articles

Even under current sea level conditions, many communities are working to protect their coastlines against flooding and shoreline erosion. Coastal communities often protect their shorelines against excessive erosion by using armoring techniques (e.g., bulkheads, riprap). Yet hardened structures reduce many of the natural adaptive mechanisms present in coastal ecosystems and reduce the sustainability of the coastal system. In contrast, natural and nature-based features (e.g., living shorelines) can better protect coastal properties from storm damage and reduce erosion while also having the potential to adapt to new conditions. Since property owners are installing armoring structures more often than living shorelines, we …

Center For Coastal Resources Management Annual Report 2022, Center For Coastal Resources Management

Reports

No abstract provided.

Ecological Monitoring Program At Vims Esl: Annual Report 2022, Paige G. Ross, Richard A. Snyder

Reports

An Ecological Monitoring Program (EMP) has been established at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science Eastern Shore Laboratory (VIMS ESL) for the coastal environment near the Wachapreague lab. The goals of the initiative are to 1) provide status and trends information to scientists who study and regulators who manage Virginia’s marine resources, 2) provide a scientific context for short-term research and grant proposals 3) provide pedagogical enrichment for educators to use in their classes, and 4) build capacity in staff expertise and training of interns and students at VIMS ESL.

The program formalizes and standardizes data collection for a long-term …

Place-Based Estuary Science Education At Machicomoco State Park, Anna Caputo

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Project description:

This experiential estuary science field trip program was initially created as a master's capstone project by Anna Caputo in partnership with Machicomoco State Park, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), and the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (CBNERR). The ultimate goal of the project is to strengthen community estuarine literacy in the local area by teaching students who will be future marine scientists, community leaders, watermen, and environmentally conscious citizens. The program is designed to highlight the coastal habitats at the state park, the issues those habitats are facing, and how science and monitoring efforts done …

Impacts And Uncertainties Of Climate Change On The Chesapeake Bay, Kyle E. Hinson

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Climate change impacts in the Chesapeake Bay will limit the efficacy of nutrient reduction efforts and decrease dissolved oxygen, but uncertainties associated with the magnitude of these effects remain. An understanding of underlying mechanisms that have driven recent warming trends will narrow uncertainties for future pathways of temperature change. Additionally, future simulations of climate impacts in the estuary are dependent on multiple different sources of uncertainty, many of which have not yet been fully evaluated. This dissertation used a three- dimensional coupled hydrodynamic-biogeochemical model to investigate recent warming trends as well as underlying uncertainties likely to influence regional projections of …

Biotic And Abiotic Factors Associated With Temporal And Spatial Variability Of Constitutive Mixotroph Abundance And Proportion, Marcella Dobbertin Da Costa

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Mixotrophic protists, which combine the use of photosynthesis and prey ingestion to obtain nutrients for growth, comprise a substantial portion of the plankton community. However, there is a major gap in our understanding of how mixotroph prevalence varies spatially and temporally and under what conditions they dominate. I utilized a recently developed molecular technique to experimentally identify active mixotrophs (taxa identified to be grazing when samples were collected) and combined this with microscopy data to estimate active mixotroph abundance and proportion at two locations in a temperate estuary over a year. Active mixotroph abundance was compared to potential mixotroph (taxa …