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Ecological Monitoring Program At Vims Esl: Annual Report 2023, 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 …

Monitoring The Abundance Of American Shad And River Herring In Virginia's Rivers: 2023 Annual Report, Eric J. Hilton, Patrick E. Mcgrath, Ashleigh Magee, Timothy Hoyt

Reports

This report describes the results of the twenty-sixth year of a continuing study to estimate the relative abundance and assess the status of American shad (Alosa sapidissima) stocks in Virginia by monitoring the spawning runs in the James, York and Rappahannock rivers in spring 2023, evaluating hatchery programs, and contributing to coast-wide assessments (ASMFC 2007, ASMFC 2020). We also report on two fisheryindependent monitoring programs using anchor gillnets in the Rappahannock River (year 6) and a major tributary of the James River, the Chickahominy River (year 9), to determine relative abundance and stock structure for the adult spawning run of …

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 …

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

Reports

No abstract provided.

Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve In Virginia Management Plan: 2022-2027, W. G. Reay, J. Baber, H. Brooks, A. Demeo, C. T. Friedrichs, C. Gonzales, J. Kuriawa, T. Hooper, S. Lerberg, E. J. Miles, B. Neikirk, S. Nuss, L. Ott, D. Parrish, T. Rudo, E C. Shields, S. Snyder, S. Wood

Reports

Established through the Coastal Zone Management Act, the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) represents a partnership program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the coastal states to promote informed management of the Nation’s estuaries and habitats. Designated in 1991, and administered by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) of William & Mary, the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia (CBNERR-VA or Reserve) is one of 30 protected areas, which encompass over 1.3 million acres and make up the NERRS.

As the nation's largest estuary, the Chesapeake Bay contains a diverse collection of habitats …

Ecological Monitoring Program At Vims Esl: Annual Report 2021, 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 …

Monitoring The Abundance Of American Shad And River Herring In Virginia’S Rivers 2022 Annual Report, Eric J. Hilton, Patrick E. Mcgrath, Brian Watkins, Ashleigh Magee

Reports

This report describes the results of a continuing study to estimate the relative abundance and assess the status of American shad (Alosa sapidissima) stocks in Virginia by monitoring the spawning runs in the James, York and Rappahannock rivers in spring 2022, evaluating hatchery programs and contributing to coast-wide assessments (ASMFC 2007a; ASMFC 2020). We also report on a fishery-independent monitoring program to determine abundance and stock structure of river herring (A. pseudoharengus, and A. aestivalis) in Virginia by evaluating the adult spawning runs in the Chickahominy River, a major tributary of the James River, and the Rappahannock River. Further, a …

Monitoring The Abundance Of American Shad And River Herring In Virginia’S Rivers 2021 Annual Report, Eric J. Hilton, Patrick E. Mcgrath, Brian Watkins, Ashleigh Magee

Reports

This report describes the results of the twenty-fourth year of a continuing study to estimate the relative abundance and assess the status of American shad (Alosa sapidissima) stocks in Virginia by monitoring the spawning runs in the James, York and Rappahannock rivers in spring 2021, evaluating hatchery programs, and contributing to coast-wide assessments (ASMFC 2007, ASMFC 2020).

We also report on two fishery independent monitoring programs using anchor gillnets in the Rappahannock River (year 4) and the Chickahominy River (year 7; a major tributary of the James River), to determine relative abundance and stock structure for the adult spawning run …

Center For Coastal Resources Management Annual Report 2021, Center For Coastal Resources Management

Reports

No abstract provided.

Virginia Seafood Sustainability, Samantha E. Askin, Robert A. Fisher

Reports

Virginia’s commercial fisheries operate sustainability under a suite of management tools based upon information received from marine scientists and fishery managers who regularly conduct biological sampling of fish while tracking commercial landings and other gathering of required information. Analyses of fishing effort and overall stock conditions, as well as formulas designed to calculate threshold limits for maintaining sustainable stocks are regularly performed. Restrictions on seasons, size, days at sea, and gear are imposed as needed to achieve management supporting long-term biological sustainability.

Estimated Consumer Sensory Shell Life Of Fresh Blue Catfish Filets Stored In Ice (Ictalurus Furcatus), Robert A. Fisher

Reports

Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) is the largest species of catfish in North America where it is native to the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio river drainages. It was introduced in fresh water Virginia tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay to enhance recreational fisheries in the 1970’s, from which significant recreational and commercial wild caught catfish fisheries developed. Since introduction, Blue catfish populations have expanded from upriver freshwater habitat to brackish-water sub-estuaries with reports of blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay proper. Blue catfish are voracious, opportunistic predators feeding on a variety of natural prey items, including native fish and shellfish species, and …

Ecological Monitoring Program At Vims Esl : Annual Report 2020, 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 to educators for 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 status and …

The Status Of Virginia’S Public Oyster Resource 2020, Melissa Southworth, Roger L. Mann

Reports

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) monitors recruitment of the Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin, 1791), annually from late spring through early fall, by deploying spatfall[1] (settlement and recruitment of larval oysters to the post metamorphic form termed spat) collectors (shellstrings) at various sites in three Virginia western Chesapeake Bay tributaries. The survey provides an estimate of a particular area’s potential for receiving a "strike" or settlement (set) of oysters on the bottom and helps describe the timing of recruitment events in a given year. Information obtained from this monitoring effort provides an overview of long-term recruitment …

Monitoring The Abundance Of American Shad And River Herring In Virginia’S Rivers 2020 Annual Report, Eric J. Hilton, Patrick E. Mcgrath, Brian Watkins, Ashleigh Magee

Reports

This report describes the results of the twenty-third year of a continuing study to estimate the relative abundance and assess the status of American shad (Alosa sapidissima) stocks in Virginia by monitoring the spawning runs in the James, York and Rappahannock rivers in spring 2020, evaluating hatchery programs, and contributing to coast-wide assessments (ASMFC 2007, ASMFC 2020).

We also report on two fisheryindependent monitoring programs using anchor gillnets in the Rappahannock River (year 3) and the Chickahominy River (year 6; a major tributary of the James River), to determine relative abundance and stock structure for the adult spawning run of …

Virginia Institute Of Marine Science Research Experiences For Undergraduates Program : Final Research Papers 2019, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

• Sediment Modeling – iRUSLE via Bayesian Melding / Kayla Rutherford
• Bottom Boundary Layer Dynamics Modelling in the Gulf of Mexico “Dead Zone”/ Jacob Wacht
• Interactions between Vibrio Bacteria and Phytoplankton Species / Coral O’Brien
• Red Disease and Antibiotic Resistance of American Eels / Thalia Wallace
• Understanding the feeding ecology of the Atlantic deep-sea scallop Placopecten magellanicus using DNA barcoding / Brittany Baker
• Using macroinvertebrate assemblages to assess nursery habitat quality for juvenile black sea bass and summer flounder/ Nicholas Coleman
• Characterizing York River estuary Benthic Metabolism/ Mary McGuinness
• Effects of pH and temperature on the growth, development, and metabolic rate …

Estimation Of Juvenile Striped Bass Relative Abundance In The Virginia Portion Of Chesapeake Bay Annual Progress Report: 2020-2021, Jack R. Buchanan, Mary C. Fabrizio, Troy D. Tuckey

Reports

No abstract provided.

Center For Coastal Resources Management Annual Report 2020, Center For Coastal Resources Management

Reports

No abstract provided.

Virginia Wild-Caught Blue Catfish: Nutrition And Contaminant Analysis, Robert A. Fisher

Reports

The blue catfish, Ictalurus furcatus, is an introduced freshwater species in Virginia’s tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay. Since its introduction in the 1970’s, significant recreational and commercial fisheries have developed within upriver, largely freshwater environments. Blue catfish are voracious, opportunistic predators, feeding on a variety of natural prey items, including native fish and shellfish species. Their varied diets result in a more nutrient-rich fish compared to farmraised catfish (USDA Food and Nutrient Database https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app. html#/?query=catfish) on the market, which are typically fed a plant-based diet.

In recent years, blue catfish populations have expanded from upriver freshwater habitat to major brackish-water …

Ecological Monitoring Program At Vims Esl - Annual Report 2018-2019, 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 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 scientists’ research and grant proposals 3) provide pedagogical enrichment to educators for 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 status and trends …

Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program Annual Report 2019, Susanna Musick, Lewis Gillingham

Reports

Through 2019, the Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program (VGFTP) has maintained a 24-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 the College of William and Mary (under the VIMS Marine Advisory Program).

Estimation Of Juvenile Striped Bass Relative Abundance In The Virginia Portion Of Chesapeake Bay Annual Progress Report: 2019 - 2020, Jack R. Buchanan, Troy D. Tuckey, Mary C. Fabrizio

Reports

The 2019 Striped Bass juvenile abundance index was 9.54 and was not significantly different than the reference mean of 7.77 from 1980-2009. Abundance indices in the James, York, and Rappahannock rivers in 2019 were average compared with their individual reference means (1980-2009). Relatively low catches of young‐of‐the‐year Striped Bass from sites upriver and downriver of core nursery areas suggest Striped Bass largely remained within core nursery areas in 2019. Juvenile White Perch abundance indices in 2019 were above historic averages in the James, York and Rappahannock river systems.

Juvenile abundance indices for Atlantic Croaker, Alewife, Spot, and Atlantic Silverside were …

Monitoring The Abundance Of American Shad And River Herring In Virginia's Rivers - 2019 Annual Report, Eric J. Hilton, Robert Latour, Patrick E. Mcgrath, Brian Watkins, Ashleigh Magee

Reports

This report describes the results of the twenty-second year of a continuing study to estimate the relative abundance and assess the status of American shad (Alosa sapidissima) stocks in Virginia by monitoring the spawning runs in the James, York and Rappahannock rivers in spring 2019, evaluating hatchery programs, and contributing to coast-wide assessments (ASMFC 2007). We also report on two fishery-independent monitoring programs using anchor gillnets in the Rappahannock River (year 2) and the Chickahominy River (year 5; a major tributary of the James River), to determine relative abundance and stock structure for the adult spawning run of river herring …

Targeted “Hotspot” Removal Of Derelict Blue Crab Traps (Va, Md), Kirk J. Havens, Donna Marie Bilkovic, David Stanhope, Kory Angstadt, Andrew M. Scheld

Reports

In the winter of 2019/2020, five commercial watermen spent a cumulative total of 120 removal days on the water and collected 971 derelict blue crab traps which contained 985 blue crabs, 239 fish (oyster toad fish, black sea bass, flounder, pig fish, striped bass, speckled trout, perch, butterfish), 31 diamond back terrapin (a listed “species of concern”), and one duck. A majority of the traps removed were metal as opposed to vinyl coated (83% and 17%, respectively). Bycatch was present in 43% (346) of metal traps and 44% (72) of vinyl coated traps removed. On average, the instantaneous capture rates …

Center For Coastal Resources Management Annual Report 2019, Center For Coastal Resources Management

Reports

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Benthic Macrofauna Community Within Intertidal Mudflats - Hurds Cove, Lynnhaven River, Virginia, M. Lisa Kellogg, Jennifer C. Dreyer

Reports

A total of 30 samples were collected from eight locations in Hurds Cove, Lynnhaven River, VA. All samples were rinsed over a 500-μm mesh sieve and all material retained on the sieve was analyzed to determine benthic macrofaunal community identity, abundance and biomass. With the exception of one sample with relatively high biomass (50.68 g AFDW m-2) attributable to a single (Rangia cuneata), biomass across all locations was low, ranging from 0.16-0.67 g AFDW m-2. At five of the eight locations, all measurable biomass was contributed by polychaete worms. At the other three locations, polychaetes accounted for 45-57% of total …

Impacts Of Sea Level Rise On Hypoxia In The Chesapeake Bay: A Model Intercomparison, Pierre St-Laurent, Marjorie A.M. Friedrichs, Ming Li, Wenfei Ni

Reports

Over recent years a number of studies have examined the effects of sea level rise (SLR) on hypoxia in Chesapeake Bay. However, variations in the methodology, the years considered, and the metrics reported made comparisons between these studies difficult. To clarify the effects of SLR on the Bay’s hypoxia, we present an intercomparison between four numerical models following a common methodology. The models share the riverine fluxes, baseline period (1991–1995), and consider the same three scenarios of SLR: an increase in sea level of 0.17m, 0.50m, and 1.00m (representative of years 2025, 2050 and 2100, respectively). SLR is the sole …

James River Water Quality Model Refinement And Scenario Simulations, Jian Shen, Qubin Qin

Reports

This project was part of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) study to evaluate the protectiveness of chlorophyll criteria and consider potential criteria revisions, along with implications for the James River portion of the Chesapeake Bay TMDL.

Oyster Reef Ecosystem Services: Macrofauna Utilization Of Restored Oyster Reefs - Harris Creek, Maryland, Usa, M. Lisa Kellogg, Jennifer C. Dreyer, Cate Turner, Manisha Pant, Paige G. Ross, Alan Birch, Sean Fate, Edward Smth, Kennedy Paynter

Reports

Oyster reefs provide habitat for a variety of macrofauna species. Our studies focused on the relationship between oyster tissue biomass density and reef-associated macrofauna biomass density. Studies were conducted in 2015-2017 and sites encompassed the majority of the area in which restoration activities were conducted with the Harris Creek Oyster Sanctuary in Maryland. Results presented in this report focus on: 1) interactions between oyster biomass density and season in determining macrofauna biomass, 2) responses of macrofauna to oyster biomass densities below “threshold” levels (0-14.9 g DW m-2) and between threshold and “target” levels (15-49.9 g DW m-2) defined in the …

Oyster Reef Ecosystem Services: Finfish Utilization And Trophic Linkages Harris Creek, Maryland, Usa, M. Lisa Kellogg, Paige G. Ross, Manisha Pant, Jennifer C. Dreyer, Alan Birch, Sean Fate, Edward Smith

Reports

Oyster reefs provide habitat for finfish and their prey. Our project focused on determining the impacts of oyster reef restoration on finfish in the Harris Creek Oyster Sanctuary in the Maryland portion of Chesapeake Bay. As a preliminary step, we examined the utility of using trawls in the place of gillnets to sample finfish but found that trawl samples were also highly variable and that the diets of finfish caught in trawls tended to be different than those caught in gillnets. Based on these findings and the fact that gillnets can be set within reef habitats, all remaining sampling was …

Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program Annual Report 2018, Susanna Musick, Lewis Gillingham

Reports

Through 2018, the Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program (VGFTP) has maintained a 23-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 the College of William and Mary (under the VIMS Marine Advisory Program).