Digital Commons Network^™

Northern Neck Regional Shallow Draft Channel Dredging Plan: Feasibility Phase, Donna A. Milligan, Cameron W. Green, C. Scott Hardaway Jr., Christine A. Wilcox, Claire M. Rae, Scott Lerberg, Alex Demeo, George Brooks, Mark Mansfield

Reports

The Initial Phase of the project (Phase 1), used remote sensing and other data collection to develop a method for determining which waterbodies on the Northern Neck of Virginia need dredging. The analysis included most of the waterbodies in the counties of Lancaster, Northumberland, Richmond, and Westmoreland. From this analysis, 19 waterbodies emerged as potentially needing dredged based on physical parameters and residential and economic usage (Milligan et al., 2023).

In this Feasibility Phase (Phase 2), more detailed site data were collected to provide data to the localities for consideration. These tasks were included in the analysis:

1. Historic shore …

Northern Neck Regional Shallow Draft Channel Dredging Plan: Initial Phase, Donna A. Milligan, Grace M. Massey, C. Scott Hardaway Jr., Christine A. Wilcox, Cameron W. Green, Mark Mansfield

Reports

The purpose of this project is to develop a regional dredging program for the localities of the Northern Neck. This report encompasses Phase 1 of the project, which included creating a database of waterbodies in Lancaster, Northumberland, Richmond, and Westmoreland Counties and the Town of Colonial Beach along the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers and Chesapeake Bay. Generally, these waterbodies can be categorized into three basic types of shallow draft channels: federally-authorized to include aids to navigation (ATONS), non-federal with ATONS, and non-federal without ATONs. Along the Northern Neck, presently identified, are 13 federal channels, 37 non-federal channels in creeks with …

Results For The 2023 Vims Industry Cooperative Surveys Of The Mid-Atlantic Bight And Georges Bank Scallop Resource Areas, Sally Roman, David Rudders, Carter Lin, Edwin D. Sánchez

Reports

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) conducted high resolution sea scallop dredge surveys of the Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB) and Georges Bank (GB) scallop resource areas during May–July 2023.

Evaluating Recruitment Of American Eel, Anguilla Rostrata, In The Potomac River (Spring 2023), Troy D. Tuckey, Mary C. Fabrizio

Reports

American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) is a valuable commercial species along the Atlantic coast of North America from New Brunswick to Florida. Landings from Chesapeake Bay typically represent 60% of the annual United States commercial harvest (ASMFC 2012). American Eel is also important to the recreational fishery as it is often used live as bait for Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) and Cobia (Rachycentron canadum). In 2021, Chesapeake Bay commercial landings of American Eel (284,297 lbs) were 87% of the U.S. landings of yellow eel (personal communication from the National Marine Fisheries Service, Fisheries Statistics Division). Since the 1980s, harvest along the …

Final Report An Assessment Of Sea Scallop Abundance And Distribution In The Nantucket Lightship Closed Area, Sally Roman, David Rudders

Reports

For the sea scallop, Placopecten magellanicus, the concepts of space and time have emerged as the basis of an effective management tool. The strategy of rotational area management has aided in the sustainability of the resource. Since 2003 with the adoption of Amendment 10 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP), rotational area management has provided a mechanism to protect juvenile scallops from fishing mortality by closing areas based on scallop abundance and observed length distributions. Approximately half of the sea scallop industry’s current annual landings are attributed to areas under this rotational harvest strategy. While this represents a management success, …

Final Report An Assessment Of Sea Scallop Abundance And Distribution In The Georges Bank Access Areas And Surrounds, Sally Roman, David Rudders

Reports

For the sea scallop, Placopecten magellanicus, the concepts of space and time have emerged as the basis of an effective management tool. The strategy of rotational area management has aided in the sustainability of the resource. Since 2003 with the adoption of Amendment 10 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP), rotational area management has provided a mechanism to protect juvenile scallops from fishing mortality by closing areas based on scallop abundance and observed length distributions. Approximately half of the sea scallop industry’s current annual landings are attributed to areas under this rotational harvest strategy. While this represents a management success, …

Final Report In Situ High-Definition Camera Monitoring To Evaluate Catch Efficiency And Performance Of A Survey Dredge, Sally Roman, Christopher Rillahan, David Rudders, Pingguo He

Reports

For the sea scallop, Placopecten magellanicus, the concepts of space and time have emerged as the basis of an effective management tool. The strategy of rotational access area management has gained support as a method to conserve and enhance the scallop resource. In the last decade, rotational area management has provided a mechanism to protect juvenile scallops from fishing mortality by closing areas based on scallop abundance and age distribution. Approximately half of the sea scallop industry’s current annual landings come from areas under this rotational harvest strategy. While this represents a management success, it also highlights the extent to …

2024 Yellowtail Flounder Research Track Assessment Working Paper: Yellowtail Flounder Estimates From The Vims Industry-Based Scallop Dredge Surveys, Sally Roman, David Rudders

Reports

The U.S. Atlantic sea scallop fishery is supported by an extensive research program, referred to as a Research Set-aside (RSA) program. The RSA program administers a competitive grants program through the allocation of a portion of the annual fishery quota to fund sea scallop research. A high priority of this program has traditionally been to fund fishery-independent surveys that employ different gears types including commercial dredges, a standardized sea scallop survey dredge, and cameras to assess the sea scallop resource across the species range in U.S. waters. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) has been funded through this program …

Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program Annual Report 2022, Susanna Musick, Lewis Gillingham

Reports

Through 2022, the Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program (VGFTP) has maintained a 27-year database of records for tagged and recaptured fish. The program is a cooperative project of the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament (VSFT) under the Virginia Marine Resources Commission-(VMRC) and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) of William & Mary (under the VIMS Marine Advisory Program).

The main goal of the program is to train and maintain an experienced group of anglers who volunteer their time to properly tag and release fishes. Data on tagged and recaptured fish are summarized in annual reports and are accessible on VIMS …

The Status Of Virginia’S Public Oyster Resource 2022, Melissa Southworth, Roger L. Mann

Reports

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Striped Bass Stocks In Virginia: Monitoring And Tagging Studies, 2022 Progress Report, Robert J. Latour, Christopher F. Bonzek, James Gartland

Reports

This report presents the results of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) tagging and monitoring activities in Virginia during the period 1 December 2020 through 30 November 2021. It includes an assessment of the biological characteristics of striped bass taken from the 2021 spring spawning run and estimates of annual survival and fishing mortality based on annual spring tagging. The information contained in this report is required by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and is used to implement a coordinated management plan for striped bass in Virginia, and along the eastern seaboard.

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

Reports

No abstract provided.

[Draft] Evaluating Recruitment Of American Eel, Anguilla Rostrata, In The Potomac River, 2023, Troy D. Tuckey, Mary C. Fabrizio

Reports

No abstract provided.

Over A Half Century Of Connecting Science And Management For Virginia’S Tidal Wetlands At The Virginia Institute Of Marine Science, Center For Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Rivers & Coast is a periodic publication of the Center for Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute of Marine Science. The goal of Rivers & Coast is to keep readers well informed of current scientific understanding behind key environmental issues related to watershed rivers and coastal ecosystems of the Chesapeake Bay.

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 …

Estimation Of Juvenile Striped Bass Relative Abundance In The Virginia Portion Of Chesapeake Bay Annual Progress Report: 2022 - 2023, Jack R. Buchanan, Mary C. Fabrizio, Troy D. Tuckey

Reports

The 2022 juvenile Striped Bass abundance index was 7.95 and was not significantly different than the reference mean of 7.77 for the period 1980 to 2009. Abundance indices were average in the York and Rappahannock rivers and below average in the James River in 2022 compared with the river-specific reference means (1980-2009). Relatively low catches of young‐of‐the‐year Striped Bass from sites upriver and downriver of core nursery areas suggest juvenile Striped Bass largely remained within core nursery areas in 2022.

Indices of abundance were also calculated for three additional economically and recreationally important fishes in Virginia waters. Juvenile White Perch …

Virginia Fishery Resource Grant Program 2022, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science, Virginia Fishery Resource Grant Program

Reports

The Virginia Fishery Resource Grant Program (VFRGP) enables members of Virginia’s seafood industries to develop ideas to protect and enhance the Commonwealth’s coastal and marine resources. Since its inception in 1999, the annually funded program has supported 143 projects, five of which were approved to start in 2022. These projects enable members of seafood industries to pursue ideas for increasing efficiency and sustainability that will benefit the entire industry, without personally bearing the cost and high risk. The VFRGP is coordinated by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Marine Advisory Program (VIMS MAP), in partnership with Virginia Sea Grant Marine …

Occohannock On The Bay Living Shoreline Project, C. Scott Hardaway Jr., Donna A. Milligan

Reports

Presentation report on Occohannock on the Bay (Camp Occohannock) Living Shoreline restoration project.

Project Purpose:

Demonstrate living shorelines as cost-effective, hybrid green-gray infrastructure approach for protecting local communities from coastal hazards while enhancing coastal resilience and ecosystem health.

Project awarded ASBPA Best Restored Shore Award for 2023

2023 Annual Report: Estimating Relative Juvenile Abundance Of Ecologically Important Finfish In The Virginia Portion Of Chesapeake Bay, Troy D. Tuckey, Mary C. Fabrizio

Reports

The VIMS Juvenile Fish Trawl Survey provides crucial data to state, regional, and national fisheries management agencies, including the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC), the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (MAFMC), and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Annual indices of juvenile abundance have been generated from trawl survey data for species of key recreational and ecological importance in the Virginia portion of Chesapeake Bay. These include Spot, Atlantic Croaker, Weakfish, Summer Flounder, Black Sea Bass, Scup, Striped Bass, White Perch, White Catfish, Channel Catfish, Blue Catfish, Silver Perch, American Eel, and Bay Anchovy. …

Estimating Relative Abundance Of Young-Of-Year American Eel, Anguilla Rostrata, In The Virginia Tributaries Of Chesapeake Bay (Spring 2022), Troy D. Tuckey, Daniel Royster, Mary C. Fabrizio

Reports

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) adopted the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the American Eel in November 1999. The FMP calls for efforts to collect American Eel data through both fishery-dependent and fishery-independent studies in coastal states. Consequently, member jurisdictions agreed to implement an annual survey for young-of-year (YOY or glass) American Eels. The survey is intended to “…characterize trends in annual recruitment of the YOY eels over time [to produce a] qualitative appraisal of the annual recruitment of American Eel to the U.S. Atlantic Coast” (ASMFC 2000). The development of these surveys began in 2000 with …

Captain Sinclair's Recreational Area Living Shoreline And Oyster Restoration, Donna A. Milligan, C. Scott Hardaway Jr.

Reports

Presentation report on Captain Sinclair's Recreational Area Living Shoreline and Oyster Restoration project.

Project awarded 2023 ASBPA Best Restored Shore award