Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Life Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

VIMS Articles

Fisheries Science Peer-Reviewed Articles

2005

Articles 1 - 10 of 10

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Veined Rapa Whelk (Rapana Venosa) Range Extensions In The Virginia Waters Of Chesapeake Bay, Usa, Jm Harding, Roger L. Mann Jan 2005

Veined Rapa Whelk (Rapana Venosa) Range Extensions In The Virginia Waters Of Chesapeake Bay, Usa, Jm Harding, Roger L. Mann

VIMS Articles

Three recent range extensions for the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, veined rapa whelk (Rapana venosa) population are described. These extensions into Tangier Sound, the mid James River estuary, and to Cape Henry at the Bay mouth extend respectively, the northern, western, and southeastern boundaries of the occupied rapa whelk range in Virginia waters. Salinity and tidal circulation mediate the distribution of adults and larvae of this animal. During dry years (e.g., 2001 and 2002) adult rapa whelks may move up-estuary in western tributaries like the James River, given increased salinity and available habitat and food resources. Declines in salinities (or return …


Observations On The Life History Of The Barndoor Skate, Dipturus Laevis, On Georges Bank (Western North Atlantic), Todd Gedamke, William D. Dupaul, John A. Musick Jan 2005

Observations On The Life History Of The Barndoor Skate, Dipturus Laevis, On Georges Bank (Western North Atlantic), Todd Gedamke, William D. Dupaul, John A. Musick

VIMS Articles

The barndoor skate (Dipturus laevis) has been reported to be close to extinction in parts of its northern range and is believed to be particularly vulnerable to fishing mortality due to its relatively large size. A lack of basic life history information, however, has hampered an accurate assessment and management of north Atlantic populations. In an attempt to fill this void, information was collected from 2 310 specimens caught during commercial sea scallop dredging in the southern section of Georges Bank Closed Area II. Eighty-seven fish were determined to be mature from a visual inspection of reproductive tracts and the …


Evidence Of Recent Recruitment In The Ocean Quahog Arctica Islandica In The Mid-Atlantic Bight, En Powell, Roger L. Mann Jan 2005

Evidence Of Recent Recruitment In The Ocean Quahog Arctica Islandica In The Mid-Atlantic Bight, En Powell, Roger L. Mann

VIMS Articles

We report results of a survey explicitly focused on ocean quahog recruitment in the Mid-Atlantic Bight. The recruitment survey resampled all NMFS survey sites south of Hudson Canyon and a selection of sites north and east of Hudson Canyon off the Long Island coast over the entire depth range of this species with the exception of the most inshore reaches off Long Island. More ocean quahogs were encountered, on a per tow basis, in the vicinity of and north of Hudson Canyon. The proportion of recruits in the size-frequency distribution was higher in the south and the most recent recruitment …


Food Color And Marine Turtle Feeding Behavior: Can Blue Bait Reduce Turtle Bycatch In Commercial Fisheries?, Y Swimmer, R Arauz, B Higgins, L Mcnaughton, M. Mccracken, J. Ballestero, Richard Brill Jan 2005

Food Color And Marine Turtle Feeding Behavior: Can Blue Bait Reduce Turtle Bycatch In Commercial Fisheries?, Y Swimmer, R Arauz, B Higgins, L Mcnaughton, M. Mccracken, J. Ballestero, Richard Brill

VIMS Articles

We conducted laboratory and field experiments to investigate the behavioral responses of Kemp's ridley Lepidochelys kempii and loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta to whole squid dyed different colors. Our ultimate goal was to identify bait modifications that could reduce the interaction of turtles with longline fishing gear. In captivity, both turtle species clearly preferred untreated squid over squid that had been dyed dark blue. Loggerhead turtles also preferred untreated squid over red-dyed squid, whereas Kemp's ridley showed the opposite response. Field trials of blue-dyed bait were conducted on commercial fishing boats in the Gulf of Papagayo, Costa Rica, where the incidental …


Comparison Of Two Approaches For Estimating Natural Mortality Based On Longevity, David A. Hewitt, John M. Hoenig Jan 2005

Comparison Of Two Approaches For Estimating Natural Mortality Based On Longevity, David A. Hewitt, John M. Hoenig

VIMS Articles

No abstract provided.


Northern Quahog (Hard Clam) Mercenaria Mercenaria Abundance And Habitat Use In Chesapeake Bay, Roger L. Mann, Jm Harding, Melissa Southworth, Ja Wesson Jan 2005

Northern Quahog (Hard Clam) Mercenaria Mercenaria Abundance And Habitat Use In Chesapeake Bay, Roger L. Mann, Jm Harding, Melissa Southworth, Ja Wesson

VIMS Articles

Recent (2001-2002) surveys of hard clam Mercenaria mercenaria density and distribution, using patent tongs in a stratified random design (n = 7,358 stations) in lower Chesapeake Bay are not consistent with historic descriptions of clam habitats and densities. The highest average densities observed, up to 3.1 clams m(-2), were in the lower James River. The highest modern average density observed is half that of clam densities commonly observed in these same habitats during the early 1970s. Current distribution is significantly affected by water depth and substrate composition. Hard clam density in Chesapeake Bay is positively associated with increasing sediment grain …


Disappearance Of The Natural Emergent 3-Dimensional Oyster Reef System Of The James River, Virginia, 1871-1948, H Woods, Wj Hargis Jr., Carl Hershner, Pamela Mason Jan 2005

Disappearance Of The Natural Emergent 3-Dimensional Oyster Reef System Of The James River, Virginia, 1871-1948, H Woods, Wj Hargis Jr., Carl Hershner, Pamela Mason

VIMS Articles

Anecdotal reports have long indicated that oysters, Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin), in the Chesapeake Bay once grew in large 3-dimensional reef structures. However, hard evidence of widespread 3-dimensional oyster reefs in the Chesapeake Bay has been scarce. This study uses data collected from historic charts of the James River, one of the most productive oyster producing tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay, to examine the natural occurrence of these reefs as well as their destruction. An early series of charts from the 1870s clearly documents widespread emergent oyster reefs in the James River from Burwell's Bay to Newport News Point. They were …


Quantification Of Drag And Lift Imposed By Pop-Up Satellite Archival Tags And Estimation Of The Metabolic Cost To Cownose Rays (Rhinoptera Bonasus), Donna S. Grusha, Mark R. Patterson Jan 2005

Quantification Of Drag And Lift Imposed By Pop-Up Satellite Archival Tags And Estimation Of The Metabolic Cost To Cownose Rays (Rhinoptera Bonasus), Donna S. Grusha, Mark R. Patterson

VIMS Articles

The recent development of the p)p-up satellite archival tag (PSAT) has allowed the collection of information on a tagged animal, such as geolocation, pressure (depth), and ambient water temperature. The success of early studies, where PSATs were used on pelagic fishes, has spurred increasing interest in the use of these tags on a large variety of species and age groups. However, some species and age groups may not be suitable candidates for carrying a PSAT because of the relatively large size of the tag and the consequent energy cost to the study animal. We examined potential energetic costs to carrying …


Toward Identification Of Larval Sailfish (Istiophorus Platypterus), White Marlin (Tetrapturus Albidus), And Blue Marlin (Makaira Nigricans) In The Western North Atlantic Ocean, Stacy A. Luthy, Robert K. Cowen, Joseph E. Serafy, Jan Mcdowell Jan 2005

Toward Identification Of Larval Sailfish (Istiophorus Platypterus), White Marlin (Tetrapturus Albidus), And Blue Marlin (Makaira Nigricans) In The Western North Atlantic Ocean, Stacy A. Luthy, Robert K. Cowen, Joseph E. Serafy, Jan Mcdowell

VIMS Articles

The identification of larval istiophorid billfishes from the western North Atlantic Ocean has long been problematic. In the present study, a molecular technique was used to positively identify 27 larval white marlin (Tetrapturus albidus), 96 larval blue marlin (Makaira nigricans), and 591 larval sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) from the Straits of Florida and the Bahamas. Nine morphometric measurements were taken for a subset of larvae (species known), and lower jaw pigment patterns were recorded on a grid. Canonical variates analysis (CVA) was used to reveal the extent to which the combination of morphometric, pigment pattern, and month of capture information was …


Application Of Pop-Up Satellite Archival Tag Technology To Estimate Postrelease Survival Of White Marlin (Tetrapturus Albidus) Caught On Circle And Straight-Shank ("J") Hooks In The Western North Atlantic Recreational Fishery, Az Horodysky, John Graves Jan 2005

Application Of Pop-Up Satellite Archival Tag Technology To Estimate Postrelease Survival Of White Marlin (Tetrapturus Albidus) Caught On Circle And Straight-Shank ("J") Hooks In The Western North Atlantic Recreational Fishery, Az Horodysky, John Graves

VIMS Articles

Short-duration (5- or 10-day) deployments of pop-up satellite archival tags were used to estimate survival of white marlin (Tetrapturus albidus) released from the western North Atlantic recreational fishery. Forty-one tags, each recording temperature, pressure, and light level readings approximately every two minutes for 5-day tags (n=5) or four minutes for 10-day tags (n=36), were attached to white marlin caught with dead baits rigged on straight-shank ("J") hooks (n=21) or circle hooks (n = 20) in offshore waters of the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Venezuela. Forty tags (97.8%) transmitted data to the satellites of the Argos system, …