Life Sciences Commons^™

Evaluation Of Striped Bass Stocks In Virginia, Monitoring And Tagging Studies, 1999-2003 Annual Report, 1 September 2000 - 31 October 2001, Philip W. Sadler, Robert J. Latour, Robert E. Harris, John E. Olney

Reports

This report presents the results of striped bass (Marone saxatilis) tagging and monitoring activities in Virginia during the penod 1 September 2000 through 31 October 2001. It includes an assessment of the biological characteristics of striped bass taken from the 2001 spring spawning run, estimates of annual survtval based on annual spring tagging, and the results of the fall 2000 directed mortality study that is cooperative with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. 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 …

Yellowtail Flounder (Limanda Ferruginea) Bycatch During The 1999 Commercial Sea Scallop Opening Of Georges Bank Area Ii, William D. Dupaul, David Rudders, Todd Gedamke

Reports

No abstract provided.

Statement On The Use Of Crassostrea Ariakensis In Chesapeake Bay, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

In 1995 the Virginia General Assembly, through House Joint Resolution 450, directed the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) to begin research on non-native oyster species for possible use in Chesapeake Bay. VIMS proceeded in a responsible manner by using sterile triploid oysters to prevent an unintended introduction. One of the results of our research has been the identification of an oyster species, Crassostrea ariakensis, that grows well in the Chesapeake Bay, is tolerant of local diseases, and has been well received in marketing trials. Recognizing that there is widespread commercial interest in this species, we are providing this statement …

Red Drum Tag Return Data Overview Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program 1995-2000, Jon Lucy

Reports

No abstract provided.

Shark Attack In Virginia: A Report To The Governor's Task Force, J. A. Musick

Reports

No abstract provided.

The Crest, Fall 2001, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Table of Contents:

• VIMS Named World Reference Laboratory for Shellfish Diseases
• VIMS Scientists Receive 2001 Best Paper Award
• Domestic Interest Grows in Cobia Culture VIMS Foundation Established
• VIMS Environmental Scientists Spearheading BDE Research in USA
• VIMS Capital Campaign for Kauffman Aquaculture Center Meets its Goal
• Dr. William Reay Named New Manager of Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
• Summer Course Connects Scientists with Science Teachers
• Beset near 68 degrees south, 69 degrees west
• New researcher studies tiny organisms that play a big role
• VIMS Welcomes New Students
• VIMS to initiate coastal observing program
• VIMS student Receives Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship …

Estimation Of Relative Abundance Of Recreationally Important Finfish In The Virginia Portion Of Chesapeake Bay, Patrick J. Geer, Herbert M. Austin

Reports

No abstract provided.

Estimation Of Relative Abundance Of Recreationally Important Finfish In The Virginia Portion Of Chesapeake Bay: Annual Progress Report 2000-2001, Patrick J. Geer, Herbert M. Austin

Reports

Several annual indices of juvenile abundance have been generated from trawl survey data for species of key recreational importance in the Virginia portion of Chesapeake Bay (spot, croaker, weakfish, summer flounder, black sea bass and striped bass, white and channel catfish) and four species of secondary importance (scup, white perch, northern puffer, and silver perch). No species has shown a continuous trend during the past fourteen years under the present sampling scheme. However, several species have revealed declines (spot, scup, and northern puffer) or increases (striped bass) in recent years. Results for the 2000 sampling season indicate significant declines over …

Aquaculture Of Triploid Crassostrea Ariakensis In The Chesapeake Bay A Symposium Report, Eric Hallerman, Merrill Leffler, Sally Mills, Standish K. Allen Jr.

Reports

A Symposium Held at the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia October 18-19, 2001

Estimating Relative Abundance Of Young Of Year American Eel, Anguilla Rostrata, In The Virginia Tributaries Of The Chesapeake Bay March 2000 - June 2001, Patrick J. Geer

Reports

Measures of juvenile recruitment success have long been recognized as a valuable fisheries management tool. In the Chesapeake Bay, these measures have provided reliable indicators for future year class strength for blue crabs (Lipcius and van Engel, 1990), striped bass (Goodyear, 1985), and several other recreationally important fishes (Geer and Austin, 1999).

The American eel, Anguilla rostrata, is a valuable commercial species along the entire Atlantic coast from New Brunswick to Florida. Landings along the U.S. Atlantic coast have varied from 290 MT in 1962 to a high of 1600 MT in 1975 (NMFS, 1999). In recent years there seems …

Estimating Relative Abundance Of Young Of The Year American Eel, Anguilla Rostrata, In The Virginia Tributaries Of Chesapeake Bay, Patrick J. Greer

Reports

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) adopted the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Eel (FMP) in November 1999. The Plan focuses on increasing the states’ efforts to collect data on the resource and the fishery it supports through fishery dependent and independent studies. To this end, member jurisdictions (including Virginia) agreed to implement an annual abundance survey of young-of-year American eel (YOY). The survey is intended to “...characterize trends in annual recruitment of the young of the year eel over time [to produce a] qualitative appraisal of the annual recruitment of American eel to the U.S. Atlantic coast …

The Crest, Summer 2001, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Table of Contents:

• VIMS to Begin New Ecosystem Management Study
• CBNERRVA Receives Coastal America Partnership Award
• VIMS Shoreline Permit Application Reports Now Available Online
• Marina Program Launched
• Web Based Education Hub Developed by VIMS/Sea Grant Educators
• In the middle of the storm... where VIMS scientists plan to be
• Continental margins--where the action is
• Aquaculture and agriculture--working together for solutions
• Marine Finfish Culture Activities
• Kauffman Aquaculture Center Campaign
• New Graduate Courses for Science Teachers
• VIMS scientists explore pollution of Antarctic sea ice
• Mid-Atlantic Scallop Closed Areas Set to Reopen
• VIMS study poses new questions on river carbon
• Marine Industry Trends
• Stranded …

Molecular Methods For The Dectection Of Quahog Parasite Unknown (Qpx), Lisa M. Ragone Calvo, Nancy A. Stokes, Eugene Burreson

Reports

No abstract provided.

Status Of The Major Oyster Diseases In Virginia 2000 A Summary Of The Annual Monitoring Program, Lisa M. Ragone Calvo, Eugene M. Burreson

Reports

As a consequence of the relatively warm temperatures, high salinities, and high oyster parasite abundances in the fall of 1999, both P. marinus and H. nelsoni were widely distributed throughout oyster populations in Virginia in 2000. Fortunately, however, we did not see severe epizootics of the diseases as observed in some areas in 1999.

Monitoring Relative Abundance Of American Shad In Virginia’S Rivers 2000 Annual Report, John E. Olney, John M. Hoenig

Reports

Since the moratorium, there have been no monitoring programs that provided direct assessment of stock recovery until this project began in 1998. The ban on in-river fishing in Virginia remained in effect, creating a dilemma for managers who needed reliable information in order to make a rational decision on when the in-river ban could safely be lifted. To address this deficiency, we proposed a method of scientific monitoring to estimate catch rates relative to those recorded before the prohibition of in-river fishing in 1994. This monitoring program began in 1998 and consisted of sampling techniques and locations that were consistent …

Lined Seahorse Distribution, Abundance, And Habitat Preferences From The Vims Trawl Survey 1979-2000, Patrick J. Geer, Joy C. Dameron

Reports

No abstract provided.

The 2000 Virginia Beach Red, White, And Blue Fishing Tournament: Participants’ Characteristics, Attitudes, Expenditures, And Economic Impacts, Carol E. Thailing

Reports

No abstract provided.

Finfish Bycatch For The Georges Bank And Hudson Canyon Closed Areas During 4 Inch Ring Dredge Experiments, William D. Dupaul, Kevin Goff, David Rudders

Reports

No abstract provided.

Food Habits Of Large Striped Bass In The Lower Chesapeake Bay And Its Tributaries March 1997 - May 1998, Herbert M. Austin, John F. Walter

Reports

Striped bass, Marone saxatilis, are dominant seasonal predators in Chesapeake Bay and support a large recreational and commercial fishery. This document presents the results of a yearlong ( 1997-1998) food habits study of large (> 450mm or 18 inches) striped bass in lower Chesapeake Bay and adjacent ocean waters. These fish comprise the coastal migratory stock and are found in greatest abundance in Chesapeake Bay during the spring and fall. Fish were obtained from a variety of commercial, recreational and fishery-independent sources and were captured by gill, fyke and pound nets as well as recreational hook and line, otter trawl …

Feasibility Study For Machine Processing Croakers Into Fillets And For Forming The Fillets Into Larger Portions, Daniel Kaufman, Robert A. Fisher, Wanchese Fish Company

Reports

The purpose of this project was to discover ways to economically process croakers into forms the market would more readily accept. Several manufacturing companies' processing machines were investigated. Two manufacturing companies' processing machines were brought to Hampton for testing. No company makes machinery specifically designed to process croaker. Small croaker fillets were also bound into larger fillets successfully. Processing machines were identified that will work and were purchased. The machinery is currently being successfully used to produce croaker fillets for both the frozen and fresh market. However, the machines are still being modified to improve the quality of the cut. …

Artificial Reef Grow-Out, Jeff Hammer

Reports

The purpose of this project, was to address the possibility of improving upon the cun-ent grow out procedures currently being used by the oyster aquaculture industty. I.e. Taylor floats - Rack and bag.

As stated in the proposal, the current adopted method of raising oysters is to use Taylor floats. This method has proven to be effective in producing market sized oysters in 1- 2 years, although intensive labor cost and high fouling rates decrease profit margins considerably. Also the availability of suitable sites is now under increased regulations and is not welcomed in some waterfront communities.

My proposal was …

Summary Of Essential Fish Habitat Description And Identification For Federally Managed Species Inhabiting The Virginia Waters Of Chesapeake Bay 1988 - 1999, Patrick J. Geer

Reports

No abstract provided.

The Status Of Virginia's Public Oyster Resource 2000, Melissa Southworth, Juliana Harding, Roger L. Mann

Reports

This report summarizes data collected during 2000 in the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay. The report is composed of two parts, part one, oyster recruitment (shell string) in Virginia and part two, dredge survey of selected oyster bars in Virginia.

Growing Soft Clams (Mya Arenaria) Commercially In The Commonwealth Of Virginia, John Vigliotta

Reports

Growing Soft Clams (Mya arenaria) commercially in the Commonwealth of Virginia was proposed with the objective to raise soft clams from 2 mm to market size in less than two years. Two different grow out methods were investigated. The first method was land based, reusing water from our existing shellfish nurse1y system. The second method consisted of trays deployed into open water on our leased grounds in the Ware River of Virginia.

Development Of A Live Fish Market Through The Use Of A New Live Holding Gear That Will Reduce Fish Mortality, Warren M. Crosby

Reports

The purpose of this project was to develop a live fish market through the use of new live holding gear that would also reduce fish mortality. There is a need for watermen to learn how to keep their fish product alive, as opposed to the current practice of icing fish down. Fish that are iced down will only keep for twenty-one days, as far as safe consumer food consumption is concerned. The market buyer knows this and the market price reflects this. If the watermen were able t.o develop a process in which to hold the fish alive and sell …

Comparative Study Of Seed From Northern And Southern Hatcheries, Joshua Merritt, Paige G. Ross

Reports

Seed from Northern and Southern (hereafter called local) hatcheries was procured in May 2000. Oysters delivered by the Northern hatchery were on time and of the desired size ~3mm). Seed from the local hatchery, however, arrived several days later and were too small to go into field nursery containers and were subsequently held in upwellers and then transferred to the field nursery gear. Figure 1 shows growth as measured by mean shell height (mm) for both strains. Note that the local seed took N20 days longer to reach grow-out size (indicated by first sieve).

Hard Clam Grow-Out Using Fenced-In System Vs. Traditional Nets, Linda Crewe

Reports

The purpose of the grant project was to see if there would be less maintenance involved using the fence system vs. nets on the bottom and, also whether the clams in the fence system would grow larger than the clams under the nets on the bottom because they would be less restricted by sand building up on top of them.

Efficiency Of Haul-Seine Cull Panels: A Comparison Of Size Selectivity And Relative Release Second Season, Christian Hagar

Reports

In 2001, eight bycatch reduction panels were .placed in a haul-seine pocket in order to examine fishes' release. Each panel contained fourteen rings 1 718 • in diameter and six 5 118 • long and 29132 • high. The number of rings totaled 112 and slots totaled 48. Release tests were conducted fourteen times from March to November. Study sites were located along the southern shore of the York River and at its mouth where it enters the Chesapeake Bay. Panels allowed 50% of the croaker < 9.6" (245mm), 50% of the flounder < 13.1" " (333mm), 42% of the spot< 7.9 " (200mm), and 60% of the stripe rs < 10.4" (265mm) and 40 % of the weakfish< 12.2" (310mm). that were pocketed to escape. However, very few small croaker were caught and 42% of the undersized flounder, 43% of the undersized spot, 16% of the undersized striped bass and 95% of the undersized weakfish were gilled and thus prevented from panel interaction. Gilling reduced overall release percentages for flounder to 29%, spot to 24% and weakfish to 2%. Statistical analysis of flounder and spot release revealed probabilities of occurrence of < .0005 showing that release of pocketed fishes below specified sizes was highly significant. Croaker and striped bass were not statistically examined due to small sample sizes. The study shows that release panels can reduce culling effort by passively releasing sub-marketable fishes, thus improving catch per unit effort, without profit loss.

Raising Spot (Leiostomus Xanthurus) Commercially For Sale As Live Bait In The Commonwealth Of Virginia, John Vigliotta

Reports

Create a method lo raise spot for sale as live bait successfully in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Application Of High Pressure Processing To Virginia’S Oyster Industry, George Flick, Stephanie Penn, Mailin Oey, Bridget Meadows

Reports

High pressure processing (HPP) has been shown to be an effective non-thermal processing treatment for shellfish. The consumption of raw oysters has been identified as a potentially serious food safety hazard for both normal and at-risk individuals. HPP can be used to reduce populations of Vibrio spp. in oysters while also releasing the abductor muscle from the shell. The Virginia oyster and quahog clam industries can benefit from the reduced labor needed to shuck the shellfish, an increased shelf life, and the reduced risk of selling a potentially hazardous product. Research indicates that Vibrio spp., fecal coliforms, and aerobic plate …