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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Do Striped Bass And Blue Crab Abundances Correlate In Chesapeake Bay?, Thomas C. Mosca Iii, Paul J. Rudershausen, Rom Lipcius
Do Striped Bass And Blue Crab Abundances Correlate In Chesapeake Bay?, Thomas C. Mosca Iii, Paul J. Rudershausen, Rom Lipcius
VIMS Articles
We examined a corollary to the hypothesis that striped bass regulate the blue crab population in Chesapeake Bay by preying on juveniles, an expected inverse correlation between striped bass and blue crab abundance. Abundance indices based on Virginia striped bass young-of-the-year beach seine data (1980-1992) were constructed for fish ages 1 - 8, and for the Virginia resident stock component, ages 1 - 5. Fishery-independent, pound net data for fall and spring were also used to construct indices of striped bass abundance in Rappahannock River (1986-1993). Juvenile blue crab abundance indices were constructed based on trawl survey data from the …
Variable Functional Responses Of A Marine Predator In Dissimilar Homogeneous Microhabitats, Rn Lipcius, Anson Hines
Variable Functional Responses Of A Marine Predator In Dissimilar Homogeneous Microhabitats, Rn Lipcius, Anson Hines
VIMS Articles
Adult soft-shelled clams (Mya arenaria) persist at low densities in Chesapeake Bay sandy habitats despite Intense predation by blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus). Clam persistence may be a consequence of variation in blue crab foraging rates as a function of clam density and sediment composition. In laboratory aquaria, we measured the functional responses (prey consumption per predator as a function of prey density) of large blue crabs to six densities of adult soft-shelled clams buried at natural depths in two sediment types (mud and sand). Functional responses in sand and mud were differentiated statistically by analyses of(1) residuals and residual sums …
Blue Crab Shedding Plants, W. A. Van Engel, Dale Ludi
Blue Crab Shedding Plants, W. A. Van Engel, Dale Ludi
Reports
Cool weather and two northeast storms, in April and May, are believed by Rappahannock River crab fishermen and shedders to have caused a three to four week delay in crabs reaching the early peeler stages of development. Fishermen are still setting crab pound nets (=peeler traps, fykes). Fishermen recall that prior to 12-15 years ago the first "run" of peeler crabs occurred on the full moon of late April or early May. Recently the "runs" have been later, but never as late as this year.