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VIMS Articles

Animal Sciences

2003

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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Isolation And Characterization Of Serine Protease Gene(S) From Perkinsus Marinus, Gd Brown, Kimberly S. Reece Nov 2003

Isolation And Characterization Of Serine Protease Gene(S) From Perkinsus Marinus, Gd Brown, Kimberly S. Reece

VIMS Articles

This study reports the first serine protease gene(s) isolated from Perkinsus marinus. Using universal primers, a 518 bp subtilisin-like serine protease gene fragment was amplified from P, marinus genomic DNA and used as a probe to screen a lambda-phage P. marinus genomic library; 2 different gamma-phage clones hybridized to the digoxigenin(DIG)-labeled subtilisin-like gene fragment. Following subcloning and sequencing of the larger DNA fragment, a 1254 bp open reading frame was identified and later confirmed, by 5' and 3' random amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) and northern blot analysis, to contain the entire coding-region sequence. Sequence analysis of the 3' RACE …


Form And Function Of The Bulbus Arteriosus In Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus Albacares): Dynamic Properties, M. H. Braun, Richard Brill, J. M. Gosline, D. R. Jones Oct 2003

Form And Function Of The Bulbus Arteriosus In Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus Albacares): Dynamic Properties, M. H. Braun, Richard Brill, J. M. Gosline, D. R. Jones

VIMS Articles

The bulbus arteriosus of the teleost heart possesses a static inflation curve that is r-shaped over the in vivo pressure range. To examine the possible significance of this in living animals, we recorded arterial blood pressure from anaesthetized yellowfin tuna and utilized a video dimensional analyser to simultaneously record changes in bulbar diameter. By plotting the changes in pressure against the changes in diameter, it was possible to create dynamic pressure-diameter (P-D) loops as well as calculate the instantaneous volume changes within the bulbus. The dynamic P-D loops showed the same features exhibited by static inflation. When nearly empty, a …


Form And Function Of The Bulbus Arteriosus In Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus Albacares), Bigeye Tuna (Thunnus Obesus) And Blue Marlin (Makaira Nigricans): Static Properties, M H. Braun, Richard Brill, J M. Gosline, D R. Jones Oct 2003

Form And Function Of The Bulbus Arteriosus In Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus Albacares), Bigeye Tuna (Thunnus Obesus) And Blue Marlin (Makaira Nigricans): Static Properties, M H. Braun, Richard Brill, J M. Gosline, D R. Jones

VIMS Articles

The juxtaposition of heart and gills in teleost fish means that the Windkessel function characteristic of the whole mammalian arterial tree has to be subserved by the extremely short ventral aorta and bulbus arteriosus. Over the functional pressure range, arteries from blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) and yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) have J-shaped pressure-volume (P-V) loops, while bulbi from the same species have r-shaped P-V loops, with a steep initial rise followed by a compliant plateau phase. The steep initial rise in pressure is due to the geometry of the lumen. The interactions between radius, pressure and tension require a large …


Biodiversity Of Bear Seamount, New England Seamount Chain: Results Of Exploratory Trawling, Ja Moore, M Vecchione, R Gibbons, Jk Galbraith, M Turnipseed, M Southworth, E Watkins Sep 2003

Biodiversity Of Bear Seamount, New England Seamount Chain: Results Of Exploratory Trawling, Ja Moore, M Vecchione, R Gibbons, Jk Galbraith, M Turnipseed, M Southworth, E Watkins

VIMS Articles

Bear Seamount (39°55′N 67°30′W) is an extinct undersea volcano located inside the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone south of Georges Bank. The fauna associated with the seamount was little known until twenty trawl stations were made 2-7 December 2000, by the NOAA ship R/V Delaware II. The objective of the survey was to begin to document the biodiversity on and over the seamount, particularly of fishes, cephalopods, and crustaceans. Representatives of most species were preserved as vouchers and for subsequent definitive identification. This report presents a description of the biodiversity. A total of at least 274 species were collected. Preliminary identifications …


A Novel Tag-Recovery Model With Two Size Classes For Estimating Fishing And Natural Mortality, With Implications For The Southern Rock Lobster (Jasus Edwardsii) In Tasmania, Australia, Rj Latour, Jm Hoenig, Da Hepworth, Sd Frusher Sep 2003

A Novel Tag-Recovery Model With Two Size Classes For Estimating Fishing And Natural Mortality, With Implications For The Southern Rock Lobster (Jasus Edwardsii) In Tasmania, Australia, Rj Latour, Jm Hoenig, Da Hepworth, Sd Frusher

VIMS Articles

Multi-year tag-recovery models can be used to derive estimates of age- and year-specific annual survival rates and year-specific instantaneous fishing and natural mortality rates. The latter, which are often of interest to fisheries managers, usually can only be estimated when the tag-reporting rate (lambda) and the short-term tag-induced mortality and tag-shedding rate (phi) are known a priori. We present a new multi-year tagging model that permits estimation of instantaneous mortality rates independently of philambda provided tagged animals from two adjacent size groups are released simultaneously. If the two size groups comprise animals just above and below the minimum harvestable size …


Systematic Evaluation Of Factors Controlling Perkinsus Marinus Transmission Dynamics In Lower Chesapeake Bay, Lm Ragone Calvo, Cf Dungan, Bs Roberson, Em Burreson Aug 2003

Systematic Evaluation Of Factors Controlling Perkinsus Marinus Transmission Dynamics In Lower Chesapeake Bay, Lm Ragone Calvo, Cf Dungan, Bs Roberson, Em Burreson

VIMS Articles

The transmission of Perkinsus marinus in eastern oysters Crassostrea virginica in relation to water temperature, host oyster mortality, and water-column abundance of anti-P. marinus antibody-labeled cells was systematically examined for 20 mo at a site in the lower York River, Virginia, USA. Uninfected sentinel oysters were naturally exposed to the parasite at 2 wk intervals throughout the course of the study to determine the periodicity and rates of parasite transmission. The timing and magnitude of disease-associated oyster mortalities in a local P. marinus-infected oyster population were estimated by monitoring a captive subset of the local oyster population. Flow cytometric immunodetection …


Detection Of The Oyster Parasite Bonamia Ostreae By Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization, Ryan Carnegie, Bj Barber, Dl Distel Aug 2003

Detection Of The Oyster Parasite Bonamia Ostreae By Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization, Ryan Carnegie, Bj Barber, Dl Distel

VIMS Articles

Bonamia ostreae is an economically significant protistan parasite of the flat oyster Ostrea edulis in Europe and North America. Management of this parasite depends partly upon its reliable identification in wild and aquacultured oyster populations, but B. ostreae is small and difficult to detect by traditional microscopic methods. We designed a fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) assay to sensitively detect B. ostreae in standard histopathological sections of B. ostreae-infected oysters using fluorescently labeled DNA oligonucleotide probes. Hybridization using a cocktail of 3 presumptively B. ostreae-specific, fluorescein iso(thio)cyanate (FITC)-labeled oligonucleotides produced an unambiguous staining pattern of small green rings inside infected …


Influence Of Habitat On Diet And Distribution Of Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis) In A Temperate Estuary, Jm Harding, Roger L. Mann May 2003

Influence Of Habitat On Diet And Distribution Of Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis) In A Temperate Estuary, Jm Harding, Roger L. Mann

VIMS Articles

Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) are recreationally and commercially valuable finfish along the Atlantic seaboard of North America including the Chesapeake Bay estuary. Habitat use patterns for striped bass in relation to biogenic habitat types in Chesapeake Bay tributaries are poorly described although it is widely acknowledged that these piscivorous fishes use estuarine habitat for nursery and feeding grounds during development. Striped bass diet and distribution patterns were examined in relation to a gradient of biogenic habitats ranging from complex three-dimensional oyster reef through flat oyster bar to sand bottom habitat in the Piankatank River, Virginia. Striped bass were more abundant …


Molecular Detection Of The Oyster Parasite Mikrocytos Mackini, And A Preliminary Phylogenetic Analysis, Ryan Carnegie, Gr Meyer, Et Al Apr 2003

Molecular Detection Of The Oyster Parasite Mikrocytos Mackini, And A Preliminary Phylogenetic Analysis, Ryan Carnegie, Gr Meyer, Et Al

VIMS Articles

The protistan parasite Mikrocytos mackini, the causative agent of Denman Island disease in the oyster Crassostrea gigas in British Columbia, Canada, is of wide concern because it can infect other oyster species and because its life cycle, mode of transmission, and origins are unknown. PCR and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) assays were developed for M mackini, the PCR assay was validated against standard histopathological diagnosis, and a preliminary phylogenetic analysis of the M mackini small-subunit ribosomal RNA gene (SSU rDNA) was undertaken. A PCR designed specifically not to amplify host DNA generated a 544 bp SSU rDNA fragment from …


Mikrocytos Roughleyi Taxonomic Affiliation Leads To The Genus Bonamia (Haplosporidia), N Cochennec-Laureau, Kimberly S. Reece, Fcj Berthe, Pm Hine Apr 2003

Mikrocytos Roughleyi Taxonomic Affiliation Leads To The Genus Bonamia (Haplosporidia), N Cochennec-Laureau, Kimberly S. Reece, Fcj Berthe, Pm Hine

VIMS Articles

Microcell-type parasites of oysters are associated with a complex of diseases in different oyster species around the world. The etiological agents are protists of very small size that are very difficult to characterize taxonomically. Associated lesions may vary according to the host species, and their occurrence may be related to variations in tissue structure. Lesion morphology cannot be used to distinguish the different agents involved. Ultrastructural observations on Mikrocytos roughleyi revealed similarities with Bonamia spp., particularly in regard to the presence of electron-dense haplosporosomes and mitochondria, whose absence from M mackini also indicate that M roughleyi and M mackini are …


Spatial Dynamics And Value Of A Marine Protected Area And Corridor For The Blue Crab Spawning Stock In Chesapeake Bay, Rom Lipcius, Wt Stockhausen, Rochelle D. Seitz, Pj Geer Mar 2003

Spatial Dynamics And Value Of A Marine Protected Area And Corridor For The Blue Crab Spawning Stock In Chesapeake Bay, Rom Lipcius, Wt Stockhausen, Rochelle D. Seitz, Pj Geer

VIMS Articles

In lower Chesapeake Bay, a 172,235 ha marine protected area and corridor (MPAC) was recently established to protect blue crab adult females either en route to or at the spawning grounds during the reproductive period. The MPAC was justified due to a recent substantial decline in spawning stock biomass. It was situated in waters deeper than 10 in throughout the lower bay due to the high abundances of adult females in this zone, and it was an expansion of a historical spawning sanctuary near the bay mouth to include northward extensions (upper and lower MPACs). We examined spatial dynamics of …


Research Priorities For Diseases Of The Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus, Jeffrey D. Shields Mar 2003

Research Priorities For Diseases Of The Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus, Jeffrey D. Shields

VIMS Articles

The diseases of blue crabs have received relatively little attention compared to those of the American oyster, Crassostrea virginica, or the penaeid shrimps, Penaeus spp. This is primarily due to differences in resource management (fishery vs. aquaculture), and the magnitude of financial losses suffered by the industries from protozoal diseases in oysters and viral diseases in shrimp, respectively. Nonetheless, several agents including Vibrio spp., Hematodinium perezi, Paramoeba perniciosa, Ameson michaelis and Loxothylacus texanus are highly pathogenic in blue crabs, and have the capacity to severely damage certain segments of the crab population. This paper is meant to highlight priorities for …


Summary Of Session: Ecology Of Early Benthic Juveniles, Rom Lipcius Mar 2003

Summary Of Session: Ecology Of Early Benthic Juveniles, Rom Lipcius

VIMS Articles

The unifying theme of the presentations in the session on the ecology of early benthic juveniles reflected a general research thrust in marine ecology and a major emphasis in blue crab ecology, specifically that the roles of dispersal and mortality in determining habitat-specific distribution patterns of young juveniles remain largely unknown. As a consequence, presentations on the ecology of postlarvae and early benthic juveniles focused on four major processes—recruitment, predation, movements, and habitat relationships, with most of the presentations integrating two or more of these processes. Two of the presentations examined recruitment and habitat relationships of young juveniles (Spitzer et …


Potential Bottom-Up Control Of Blue Crab Distribution At Various Spatial Scales, Rochelle D. Seitz, R. Lipcius, Wt Stockhausen, Et Al Mar 2003

Potential Bottom-Up Control Of Blue Crab Distribution At Various Spatial Scales, Rochelle D. Seitz, R. Lipcius, Wt Stockhausen, Et Al

VIMS Articles

Top-down (i.e., predation), bottom-up (i.e., food availability), and physical factors may influence blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) distribution. To assess the role of bottom-up and physical process in blue crab distributions, we concurrently measured density of the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus), density of its principal prey, the Baltic clam (Macoma balthica), and physical characteristics in mud and sand habitats spanning various spatial scales (1-10 km and 10-50 km) in the York River, Chesapeake Bay. Clam and crab densities were intermediate in mud, low in downriver sand, and high in upriver sand. Clam and crab densities were not correlated in mud. whereas …


Simulated Effects Of Seagrass Loss And Restoration On Settlement And Recruitment Of Blue Crab Postlarvae And Juveniles In The York River, Chesapeake Bay, Wt Stockhausen, Rom Lipcius Mar 2003

Simulated Effects Of Seagrass Loss And Restoration On Settlement And Recruitment Of Blue Crab Postlarvae And Juveniles In The York River, Chesapeake Bay, Wt Stockhausen, Rom Lipcius

VIMS Articles

Seagrass meadows provide important settlement habitat, food and refuge for postlarvae and young juveniles of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus. In the York River, Chesapeake Bay, area] cover and distribution of seagrass beds has declined historically. Beds which existed 12-25 km upriver from the mouth disappeared and have not recovered. A model for planktonic postlarval behavior, coupled with a 3-dimensional hydrodynamic transport model for the York River, was used to investigate potential effects of the decline in seagrass abundance, and hypothetical restoration, on blue crab settlement and recruitment to the benthos, both in seagrass and to unvegetated bottom. Effects of …


Aspects Of The Pathophysiology Of Blue Crabs, Callinectes Sapidus, Infected With The Parasitic Dinoflagellate Hematodinium Perezi, Jeffrey D. Shields, C Scanlon, A Volety Mar 2003

Aspects Of The Pathophysiology Of Blue Crabs, Callinectes Sapidus, Infected With The Parasitic Dinoflagellate Hematodinium Perezi, Jeffrey D. Shields, C Scanlon, A Volety

VIMS Articles

Blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, infected with Hematodinium perezi frequently show signs of weakness and lethargy and die when stressed by handling or capture. Radical changes to the hemolymph of heavily infected crabs are obvious by reduced clotting ability, discoloration. and a 50% to 70% decline in total hemocyte density. Few other signs of infection are associated with infections and the resulting mortalities of blue crabs. To assay physiological changes in infected crabs, we measured serum proteins, hemocyanin, serum acid phosphatase, various hemolymph enzymes, hernagglutination activity, and tissue glycogen levels in relation to intensity of infection with H. perezi. Serum proteins …


Bioenergetic Modeling Of The Blue Crab (Callinectes Sapidus) Using The Fish Bioenergetics (3.0) Computer Program, Bj Brylawski, Tj Miller Mar 2003

Bioenergetic Modeling Of The Blue Crab (Callinectes Sapidus) Using The Fish Bioenergetics (3.0) Computer Program, Bj Brylawski, Tj Miller

VIMS Articles

To understand better the ecology and growth dynamics of the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus). we developed a bioenergetic model based upon the Fish Bioenergetics 3.0 computer program. We summarized and analyzed existing data from published studies on the ecology and physiology of both blue crab and closely related species to parameterize the model. The respiration and excretion components were estimated directly from published studies. Parts of the consumption component were estimated indirectly. The resulting model was evaluated for applicability against known growth trajectories from field and laboratory studies. The model predicted observed growth and consumption to a first approximation. Inspection …


Experimental Mycobacteriosis In Striped Bass Morone Saxatilis, Dt Gauthier, Mw Rhodes, Wolfgang K. Vogelbein, H Kator, Ca Ottinger Mar 2003

Experimental Mycobacteriosis In Striped Bass Morone Saxatilis, Dt Gauthier, Mw Rhodes, Wolfgang K. Vogelbein, H Kator, Ca Ottinger

VIMS Articles

Striped bass Morone saxatilis were infected intraperitoneally with approximately 10(5) Mycobacterium marinum, M. shottsii sp. nov., or M. gordonae. Infected fish were maintained in a flow-through freshwater system at 18 to 21degreesC, and were examined histologically and bacteriologically at 2, 4, 6, 8, 17, 26, 36 and 45 wk post-infection (p.i.). M. marinum caused acute peritonitis, followed by extensive granuloma development in the mesenteries, spleen and anterior kidney. Granulomas in these tissues underwent a temporal progression of distinct morphological stages, culminating in well-circumscribed lesions surrounded by normal or healing tissue. Mycobacteria were cultured in high numbers from splenic tissue at …


Infectivity And Pathogenicity Of The Oomycete Aphanomyces Invadans In Atlantic Menhaden Brevoortia Tyrannus, Y Kiryu, Jeffrey D. Shields, Wolfgang K. Vogelbein, H Kator, Vs Blazer Mar 2003

Infectivity And Pathogenicity Of The Oomycete Aphanomyces Invadans In Atlantic Menhaden Brevoortia Tyrannus, Y Kiryu, Jeffrey D. Shields, Wolfgang K. Vogelbein, H Kator, Vs Blazer

VIMS Articles

Atlantic menhaden Brevoortia tyrannus develop characteristic skin ulcers in response to infection by the oomycete Aphanomyces invadans. To investigate pathogenicity, we conducted a dose response study. Juvenile menhaden were inoculated subcutaneously with 0, 1, 5, 10, 100, and 500 secondary zoospores per fish and monitored for 37 d post-injection (p.i.). Survival rates declined with increasing zoospore dose, with significantly different survivorship curves for the different doses. Moribund and dead fish exhibited characteristic ulcerous lesions at the injection site starting at 13 d p.i. None of the sham-injected control fish (0 zoospore treatment) died. The LD50 (lethal dose killing 50% of …


Mycobacterium Shottsii Sp Nov., A Slowly Growing Species Isolated From Chesapeake Bay Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis), Mw Rhodes, H Kator, S Kotob, P Van Berkum, I Kaattari, Wolfgang K. Vogelbein, Et Al Mar 2003

Mycobacterium Shottsii Sp Nov., A Slowly Growing Species Isolated From Chesapeake Bay Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis), Mw Rhodes, H Kator, S Kotob, P Van Berkum, I Kaattari, Wolfgang K. Vogelbein, Et Al

VIMS Articles

Slowly growing, non-pigmented mycobacteria were isolated from striped bass (Morone saxatilis) during an epizootic of mycobacteriosis in the Chesapeake Bay. Growth characteristics, acid-fastness and results of 16S rRNA gene sequencing were consistent with those of the genus Mycobacterium. A unique profile of biochemical reactions was observed among the 21 isolates. A single cluster of eight peaks identified by analysis of mycolic acids (HPLC) resembled those of reference patterns but differed in peak elution times from profiles of reference species of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. One isolate (M175(T)) was placed within the slowly growing mycobacteria by analysis of aligned 16S rRNA …


Salinity Tolerance Of Larval Rapana Venosa: Implications For Dispersal And Establishment Of An Invading Predatory Gastropod On The North American Atlantic Coast, Roger L. Mann, Juliana M. Harding Feb 2003

Salinity Tolerance Of Larval Rapana Venosa: Implications For Dispersal And Establishment Of An Invading Predatory Gastropod On The North American Atlantic Coast, Roger L. Mann, Juliana M. Harding

VIMS Articles

The lack of quantitative data on the environmental tolerances of the early life-history stages of invading species hinders estimation of their dispersal rates and establishment ranges in receptor environments. We present data on salinity tolerance for all stages of the ontogenetic larval development of the invading predatory gastropod Rapana venosa, and we propose that salinity tolerance is the dominant response controlling the potential dispersal ( = invasion) range of the species into the estuaries of the Atlantic coast of the United States from the current invading epicenter in the southern Chesapeake Bay. All larval stages exhibit 48-h tolerance to salinities …


Diet Composition Of Large Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis) In Chesapeake Bay, John F. Walter, Hebert M. Austin Jan 2003

Diet Composition Of Large Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis) In Chesapeake Bay, John F. Walter, Hebert M. Austin

VIMS Articles

Large (>458 mm) striped bass (Morone saxatilis) are dominant predators in Chesapeake Bay. In recent years, the Chesapeake Bay stock of striped bass has increased dramatically, raising concerns about their predatory impact and their forage requirements. In response to these concerns and the need for more recent ecological studies, this investigation Was conducted to characterize feeding habits of large striped bass in Chesapeake Bay. Stomach contents from 1225 striped bass from 458 to 1151 mm TL were examined in the spring and fall of 1997 and 1998. Striped bass consumed 52 different species of vertebrates and invertebrates; however, only …


Use Of Pop-Up Satellite Archival Tags To Demonstrate Survival Of Blue Marlin (Makaira Nigricans) Released From Pelagic Longline Gear, David Kerstetter, Brian E. Luckhurst, Eric D. Prince, John Graves Jan 2003

Use Of Pop-Up Satellite Archival Tags To Demonstrate Survival Of Blue Marlin (Makaira Nigricans) Released From Pelagic Longline Gear, David Kerstetter, Brian E. Luckhurst, Eric D. Prince, John Graves

VIMS Articles

No abstract provided.


A Model For Assessing The Likelihood Of Self-Sustaining Populations Resulting From Commercial Production Of Triploid Suminoe Oysters (Crassostrea Ariakensis) In Chesapeake Bay, Jodi R. Dew, Jim Berkson, Eric Hallerman, Standish K. Allen Jr. Jan 2003

A Model For Assessing The Likelihood Of Self-Sustaining Populations Resulting From Commercial Production Of Triploid Suminoe Oysters (Crassostrea Ariakensis) In Chesapeake Bay, Jodi R. Dew, Jim Berkson, Eric Hallerman, Standish K. Allen Jr.

VIMS Articles

Culture of a non-native species, such as the Suminoe oyster (Crassostrea ariakensis), could offset the harvest of the declining native eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) fishery in Chesapeake Bay. Because of possible ecological impacts from introducing a fertile non-native species, introduction of sterile triploid oysters has been proposed. However, recent data show that a small percentage of triploid individuals progressively revert toward diploidy, introducing the possibility that Suminoe oysters might establish self-sustaining populations. To assess the risk of Suminoe oyster populations becoming established in Chesapeake Bay, a demographic population model was developed. Parameters modeled were salinity, stocking density, reversion rate, reproductive …


Validation Of Presumed Annual Marks On Sectioned Otoliths Of Spotted Seatrout, Cynoscion Nebulosus, In The Chesapeake Bay Region, Tf Idhe, Me Chittenden Jan 2003

Validation Of Presumed Annual Marks On Sectioned Otoliths Of Spotted Seatrout, Cynoscion Nebulosus, In The Chesapeake Bay Region, Tf Idhe, Me Chittenden

VIMS Articles

Annual otolith incremnet deposition has not been validated for spotted seatrout populations north of Florida. To validate the marks on sectioned otoliths of Chesapeake Bay spotted seatrout, a size-stratified subsample (n = 683) was randomly selected from a total of 2763 fish collected from June 1996 to March 1999. Monthly marginal increment frequency plots and monthly frequency of 0 marginal increment plots showed that presumed annual marks-interpreted as the distal edge of the translucent margin-formed once a year, during March and April, thus validating the sectioned otolith method in spotted seatrout of ages 1-5 for the Chesapeake Bay region.


Molecular Analysis Of A Haplosporidian Parasite From Cultured New Zealand Abalone Haliotis Iris, Kimberly S. Reece, Na Stokes Jan 2003

Molecular Analysis Of A Haplosporidian Parasite From Cultured New Zealand Abalone Haliotis Iris, Kimberly S. Reece, Na Stokes

VIMS Articles

In the Austral summer and autumn of 2000 and 2001, mortalities of black-footed abalone Haliotis iris (Martyn, 1784) occurred in a commercial facility in New Zealand. Histological analyses suggested that infection by a haplosporidian parasite was responsible. To confirm identification as a haplosporidian and to help determine if this parasite represented a new, undescribed species, DNA was extracted from infected host tissues scored as positive for infection by histological examination. Small-subunit rRNA (SSU rRNA) gene sequences from both the host abalone and a parasitic organism were amplified by PCR and characterized. Although the sequence for this parasite was novel, not …


Monitoring The Prevalence Of The Parasitic Dinoflagellate Hematodinium Sp In Snow Crabs Chionoecetes Opilio From Conception Bay, Newfoundland, Gp Pestal, Dm Taylor, Jm Hoenig, Jeffrey D. Shields, R Pickavance Jan 2003

Monitoring The Prevalence Of The Parasitic Dinoflagellate Hematodinium Sp In Snow Crabs Chionoecetes Opilio From Conception Bay, Newfoundland, Gp Pestal, Dm Taylor, Jm Hoenig, Jeffrey D. Shields, R Pickavance

VIMS Articles

Bitter crab disease (BCD) of snow crabs Chionoecetes opilio is caused by a parasitic dinoflagellate, Hematodinium sp. In Newfoundland's commercial fishery, infected snow crabs are identified using visual, macroscopic signs of disease for separation prior to processing. We estimated the sensitivity and specificity of gross, macroscopic diagnosis of Hematodinium sp. by comparing these results with microscopic examination of prepared hemolymph smears. The sensitivity of a diagnostic test is the probability that the test will yield a positive result given that the animal has the disease. The specificity is the probability of a negative result given the animal is not diseased. …


Evaluation Of Real-Time Catch And Effort Reporting In The U.S. Ilex Illecebrosus Fishery, E R. Powell, A J. Bonner, Roger L. Mann, S E. Banta Jan 2003

Evaluation Of Real-Time Catch And Effort Reporting In The U.S. Ilex Illecebrosus Fishery, E R. Powell, A J. Bonner, Roger L. Mann, S E. Banta

VIMS Articles

The Illex illecebrosus fishery in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean is a trawl-based fishery. Illex illecebrosus normally lives less than one year, thus managing the fishery using a standard stock assessment approach is difficult. Real-time management is an attractive option. The purpose of this study was to investigate the validity and utility of data reported by commercial vessels for application in real-time management in the I. illecebrosus fishery. The assessment includes evaluating the frequency of erroneous reports, identifying the best measure of effort for catch per unit effort (CPUE) analysis, and examining the influence of vessel type and vessel behavior on …


Perkinsus Sp Infection Risk For Manila Clams, Venerupis Philippinarum (A. Adams And Reeve, 1850) On The Pacific Coast Of North And Central America, Ra Elston, Cf Dungan, Tr Meyers, Kimberly S. Reece Jan 2003

Perkinsus Sp Infection Risk For Manila Clams, Venerupis Philippinarum (A. Adams And Reeve, 1850) On The Pacific Coast Of North And Central America, Ra Elston, Cf Dungan, Tr Meyers, Kimberly S. Reece

VIMS Articles

Manila clams (Venerupis philippinarum, A. Adams and Reeve 1850) are an important aquaculture species on the west coast of North America and are also cultured in Europe, Asia, and other locations. Clams cultured on the west coast of North America are free of Perkinsus sp. infections, while clams from certain Asian and European sources are infected. Infection in Korean Manila clams is reportedly associated with high morbidity and mortality. We evaluated the health status of readily accessible Manila clam juveniles from Korea that were proposed for importation into Mexican waters where they would increase in size, and then be shipped …


Reproductive Seasonality, Fecundity, And Spawning Frequency Of Tautog (Tautoga Onitis) In The Lower Chesapeake Bay And Coastal Waters Of Virginia, Geoffrey G. White, Thomas A. Munroe, Herbert M. Austin Jan 2003

Reproductive Seasonality, Fecundity, And Spawning Frequency Of Tautog (Tautoga Onitis) In The Lower Chesapeake Bay And Coastal Waters Of Virginia, Geoffrey G. White, Thomas A. Munroe, Herbert M. Austin

VIMS Articles

The tautog, Thutoga onitis (Linnaeus), ranges from Nova Scotia to South Carolina and has become a popular target for recreational and commercial fisheries. Although tautog are a multiple spawning species, reproductive potential, measured as annual fecundity, has not been estimated previously with methods (batch fecundity, spawning frequency) necessary for a species with indeterminate annual fecundity. A total of 960 tautog were collected from the mouth of the Rappahannock River in the lower Chesapeake Bay to 45 kin offshore of Virginia's coastline to investigate tautog reproductive biology in the southern portion of the species range. Tautog did not exhibit a 1:1 …