Life Sciences Commons^™

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 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, …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Results For The 2022 Vims Industry Cooperative Surveys Of The Mid-Atlantic Bight, Nantucket Lightship, Southern Flank, And Closed Area Ii Resource Areas, Sally A. Roman, David A. Rudders

Reports

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) conducted high resolution sea scallop dredge surveys of the entire Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB) and portions of Georges Bank (GB) including the Nantucket Lightship (NL), the Southern Flank (SF), Closed Area II (CA) Extension, and CAII during May–June 2022 (Figure 1). These surveys were funded by the Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program (RSA). Exploitable biomass for each survey is shown in Table 1 for each spatially explicit SAMS Area (Scallop Area Management Simulator). SAMS Areas represent management relevant spatial subunits of the resource and explicitly account for differences in recruitment, vital rates, and fishing …

Age Based Assessment In The Sea Scallop Placopecten Magellanicus: A Pilot Study - Final Report, Roger L. Mann, David Rudders, Sally Roman, Melissa Southworth, Kaitlyn R. Clark

Reports

If the current sea scallop fishery is well managed with a Catch At Size Analysis (CASA) length structured model, then why bother with an age based assessment? The success of the CASA based approach, in conjunction with management measures, is demonstrated by the development of the scallop fishery over the past two decades to its current status as the one of the most valuable fisheries on the Atlantic coast of the United States (NOAA, 2021). But, even the best length-based model can be improved by the addition of age data. An age-based model calibrates a length-based model, including a description …

Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program Annual Report 2021, Susanna Musick, Lewis Gillingham

Reports

Through 2021, the Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program (VGFTP) has maintained a 26-year database of rec-ords 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.

A Cooperative High Precision Dredge Survey To Assess The Mid-Atlantic Sea Scallop Resource Area In 2019 And 2020: Final Report, Sally Roman, David Rudders

Reports

For the sea scallop, Placopecten magellanicus, current and accurate information related to the abundance and distribution of adult and juvenile scallops is essential for effective management of the resource. Scallop management is a combination of input and output controls, with a focus on spatial area management. The continued prosperity of the scallop resource and fishery is dependent on both periodic and large incoming year classes, as well as a mechanism to delineate the scale of a recruitment event and subsequently monitor the growth and abundance of these scallops over time.

Acknowledging the importance of accurate, timely, and meaningful information …

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 …

Results For The 2021 Vims Industry Cooperative Surveys Of The Mid-Atlantic, Nantucket Lightship, Closed Area I, And Closed Area Ii Resource Areas, Sally Roman, David Rudders

Reports

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) conducted high resolution sea scallop dredge surveys of the Mid-Atlantic (MAB), the Nantucket Lightship (NLCA), Closed Area I (CAI), and Closed Area II (CAII) during May - July 2021 (Figure 1). These surveys were funded by the Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program (RSA). Exploitable biomass for each survey is shown in Table 1 for each SAMS Area (Scallop Area Management Simulator). SAMS Areas represent management relevant spatial subunits of the resource and explicitly account for differences in recruitment, vital rates, and fishing effort in the forward projection of survey information. This information is …

The Effect Of Density On Growth, Yield, And Reproduction Of The Sea Scallop, Placopecten Magellanicus: Final Report, Sally Roman, David Rudders, Roger L. Mann, Kaitlyn R. Clark

Reports

Results from this project indicate that density in combination with settlement at depth in potentially marginal habitat contribute to reductions in growth, yield, and reproductive effort. In general, Study Area was not a contributing factor to the reductions in the three areas of scallop biological processes we measured. Scallops that settle in dense aggregations at varying depths may respond differentially to environmental conditions, food availability, habitat, and removals. (...)

Results from this study will enhance our knowledge of the scallop population with respect to conditions that diverge from expected biological processes. Results will also allow for better management and assessment …

Virginia Fishery Resource Grant Program 2020, Virginia Fishery Resource Grant Program, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

No abstract provided.

A Summary Of Collaborative Discussions On Existing Management Within The Channeled Whelk, Samantha E. Askin, Robert A. Fisher

Reports

In 2014 during the 16th International Conference on Shellfish Restoration, representatives from states along the U.S. Atlantic coast from Massachusetts to Georgia discussed various strategies for management of the channeled whelk fishery. The purpose of that meeting was to initiate a collaborative effort among industry, academia, and regulatory agencies to address concerns related to the channeled whelk resource and to provide guidelines for the development of a sustainable whelk fishery along the U.S. Atlantic coast (Fisher 2015a). This was the first documented attempt to bring state managers together to address inconsistencies involved with what is known about channeled whelk biology …

Results For The 2020 Vims Industry Cooperative Surveys Of The Mid-Atlantic, Nantucket Lightship, Great South Channel, Closed Area I, And Closed Area Ii Resource Areas, Sally Roman, David B. Rudders

Reports

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) conducted high resolution sea scallop dredge surveys of the entire Mid-Atlantic (MAB), the Nantucket Lightship (NLCA), Great South Channel (GSC), Closed Area I (CAI), and Closed Area II (CAII) during July–September 2020. These surveys were funded by the Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program (RSA). Exploitable biomass for each survey is shown in Table 1 for each spatially explicit SAMS Area (Scallop Area Management Simulator). SAMS Areas represent management relevant spatial subunits of the resource and explicitly account for differences in recruitment, vital rates, and fishing effort in the forward projection of survey information. …

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 …

An Assessment Of Sea Scallop Abundance And Distribution In The Nantucket Lightship Closed Area And Surrounds - Final Report, David B. Rudders, Sally A. Roman, Erin Mohr

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 closing or limiting activities in certain areas for specific lengths of time 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 upon scallop abundance and observed age distribution. Approximately half of the sea scallop industry’s current annual landings are attributed to from areas under this rotational harvest strategy. While …

An Assessment Of Sea Scallop Abundance And Distribution In Georges Bank Closed Area I And Ii And Surrounds: Final Report, David B. Rudders, Sally A. Roman, Erin Mohr

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 closing or limiting activities in certain areas for specific lengths of time 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 upon scallop abundance and observed age distribution. Approximately half of the sea scallop industry’s current annual landings are attributed to from areas under this rotational harvest strategy. While …

A Cooperative High Precision Dredge Survey To Assess The Mid-Atlantic Sea Scallop Resource In 2018: Final Report, David Rudders, Sally Roman

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 closing or limiting activities in certain areas for specific lengths of time 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 upon scallop abundance and observed age distribution. Approximately half of the sea scallop industry’s current annual landings are attributed to areas under this rotational harvest strategy. While this …

Understanding Dredge Performance For A Lined Versus Unlined Nmfs Sea Scallop Dredge: Final Report, David B. Rudders, Sally A. Roman, Erin Mohr

Reports

The sea scallop fishery is typically supported by several primary survey methods (i.e., dredge and optical surveys), which provide multiple, spatially explicit biomass estimates on an annual basis. Since 2015, significant divergence in area-specific biomass estimates between the optical and dredge survey methods has been noted. The divergent estimates are associated with areas of high scallop densities within the Nantucket Lightship Access Area (NL) and the Elephant Truck Access Area (ET). In 2018 and 2019, the disparity in biomass estimates between the different survey methods in the ET was reduced, but in the NL, the issue has continued. Evidence suggests …

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).

Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program Annual Report 2020, Susanna Musick, Lewis Gillingham

Reports

Through 2020, the Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program has maintained a 25-year database of records for tagged and recaptured fish. The program is a cooperative project of the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tour-nament (under the Virginia Marine Resources Commission-VMRC) and the Virginia Institute of Marine Sci-ence (VIMS) of William & Mary (under the VIMS Marine Advisory Program).

The primary goal of the program is to train and maintain an experienced group of anglers who are willing to volunteer their time and effort to properly tag and release their fish catch.

Industry Report : Understanding Dredge Performance For A Lined Versus Unlined Nmfs Sea Scallop Dredge, David Rudders, Sally Roman, Erin Mohr

Reports

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) tested a scale model of the sea scallop survey dredge in the flume tank at the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University over two days in March of 2019. This work was conducted to understand how the liner, survey protocols, and catch volume effect dredge performance. Tow speed, warp tension, maximum bag height, height at the twine top end, wire angle, wheel height of bottom, and dredge angle were measured for the trials. Tow speeds tested ranged from 3-4.5 kts. Video footage of trials was recorded and can be viewed at the …

Virginia Fishery Resource Grant Program 2019, Virginia Fishery Resource Grant Program, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

No abstract provided.

Georges Bank Yellowtail Flounder Estimates From Vims Industry-Based Scallop Dredge Surveys Of Closed Area Ii And Surrounds, Sally Roman, David Rudders

Reports

This document is the final report submitted to the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) for the Georges Bank Yellowtail Flounder Estimates from VIMS Industry-Based Scallop Dredge Surveys of Closed Area II and Surrounds project. The NEFMC funded this project in April 2019, with an objective of synthesizing existing VIMS dredge survey data with respect to the Georges Bank stock of yellowtail flounder (Limanda ferruginea). Analysis consisted of an examination of existing catch data from VIMS dredge surveys of Georges Bank Closed Area II and surrounds from 2005 to 2019.

Results For The 2019 Vims Industry Cooperative Surveys Of The Mid-Atlantic, Nantucket Lightship Closed Area, Closed Area I, And Closed Area Ii Resource Areas, David Rudders, Sally Roman, Erin Mohr, Kaitlyn Clark

Reports

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) conducted high resolution sea scallop dredge surveys of the entire Mid-Atlantic (MAB), the Nantucket Lightship (NLCA), Closed Area I (CAI), and Closed Area II (CAII) during May–July 2019. These surveys were funded by the Sea Scallop Research Set- Aside Program (RSA). Exploitable biomass for each survey is shown in Table 1 for each spatially explicit SAMS Area (Scallop Area Management Simulator). SAMS Areas represent management relevant spatial subunits of the resource and explicitly account for differences in recruitment, vital rates, and fishing effort in the forward projection of survey information. Maps of SAMS …

Evaluating The Condition And Discard Mortality Of Monkfish, Lophius Americanus, Following Capture And Handling In The Sea Scallop Dredge Fishery, David Rudders, Sally Roman, Amelia Weissman, Ryan Knotek, John Mandelman, James Sulikowski

Reports

The incidental capture of nontarget organisms, known as bycatch, remains an unavoidable occurrence for all fisheries (Kirby and Ward, 2014). One of the most challenging issues facing fisheries management is the post-release mortality of these bycaught species due to its difficulty to predict and the variability among species and gear type (Benoit et al., 2010, 2013; Depestele et al., 2014), which makes it inherently difficult to conduct proper stock assessments. Since there have been few studies conducted on post-release mortality across species, fisheries managers typically assign conservative estimates of mortality which limits total allowable catch and may negatively impact the …

An Investigation Into The Scallop Parasite Outbreak On The Mid-Atlantic Shelf: Transmission Pathways, Spatio-Temporal Variation Of Infection And Consequences To Marketability : Final Report, David Rudders, Sally Roman, Robert A. Fisher, David Bushek, Daphne Munroe, Eleanor A. Bochenek, Emily Mcgurk, Sarah Borsetti

Reports

A disease epizootic has developed that threatens one of the most valuable fisheries in the US. The U.S. sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) fishery landed $512 million worth of scallop meats in 2017 (NMFS, 2018). This fishery is based on landings of scallop adductor muscles only, with the remainder of the scallop discarded at sea (NEFSC, 2018). During the spring of 2015 both industry and scientific assessment crews noted unprecedented numbers of a parasitic nematode in the adductor muscle of captured scallops (Figure 1). The presence of the parasite in the adductor muscle is expressed through macroscopic lesions, or cysts. These …