Life Sciences Commons^™

Improving Production Of The Eastern Oyster Crassostrea Virginica Through Coordination Of Genetic Improvement Programs, Research, And Technology Transfer Activities, Standish K. Allen Jr., Caird Rexroad Iii, Robert Rheault

VIMS Articles

The East Coast Shellfish Growers Association has been actively advocating for continued improvement of breeding infrastructure to support a vibrant and ecologically crucial industry. This white paper acknowledges these efforts and is meant to serve as a paradigm for oyster breeding on the East Coast. The vision is relatively straightforward; however, its execution—like most things—will be fraught with detail and inertia. Yet describing simply the idea without articulating some detail and potential roadblocks would be misleading. Instead, we present a picture of a breeding paradigm as it might play out across the entire range of a species. At this particular …

Evaluating Movements Of Opakapaka (Pristipomoides Filamentosus) Relative To A Restricted Fishing Area By Using Acoustic Telemetry And A Depth-Constrained Estimator Of Linear Home Ranges, Stephen R. Scherrer, Kevin C. Weng

VIMS Articles

Networks of no-take fishery reserves have emerged as a tool for managing deepwater fish species. In Hawaii and elsewhere, such areas are used to manage deepwater snapper species. However, little is known regarding the movements of these species relative to protected areas. We used passive acoustic telemetry to track crimson jobfish (Pristipomoides filamentosus), also known as opakapaka, in one of Hawaii’s bottomfish restricted fishing areas to understand the size required for a reserve to protect this species. From January 2017 through January 2018, 179 fish were tagged. Only 10 fish were classified as alive on the basis of movements indicated …

Are Predator−Prey Model Predictions Supported By Empirical Data? Evidence For A Storm-Driven Shift Toan Alternative Stable State In A Crab−Clam System, Cassandra N. Glaspie, Rochelle D. Seitz, Romuald N. Lipcius

VIMS Articles

A dynamic systems approach can predict steady states in predator−prey interactions,but there are very few examples of predictions from predator−prey models conforming to empirical data. Here, we examined the evidence for the low-density steady state predicted by a Lotka-Volterra model of a crab−clam predator−prey system using data from long-term monitoring, and data from a previously published field survey and field predation experiment. Changepoint analysis of time series data indicate that a shift to low density occurred for the soft-shell clam Mya arenaria in 1972, the year of Tropical Storm Agnes. A possible mechanism for the shift is that Agnes altered …

Fish Biodiversity Patterns Of A Mesophotic-To-Subphotic Artificial Reef Complex And Comparisons With Natural Substrates, St Jones, Jm Asher, Rc Boland, Bk Kanenaka, Kevin C. Weng

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Artificial reefs act as high-rugosity habitats and are often deployed to enhance fishing; however, the effects of man-made features on fish communities can be unpredictable and are poorly understood in deeper waters. In this study, we used a submersible to describe a deep-water artificial reef complex (93-245 m) off of Ewa Beach, Oahu, Hawaii, USA, and evaluated possible conservation and/or fisheries-related contributions. Sixty-eight species were recorded, with larger features supporting greater diversity of species. Species composition changed strongly with depth and a faunal break was detected from 113-137 m. While the features supported diverse fish communities, they were not similar …

Bycatch In A Commercial Lobster Fishery: Effects On Two Benthic Predators, Sea Raven And Longhorn Sculpin, Brooke N. Anderson, Amelia M. Weissman, Brett Sweezey, John Mandelman, David Rudders, James A. Sulikowski

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Studying the species‐specific responses to fishing capture is critical for effective management and conservation of bycatch species given that acute stress incurred from capture and handling may ultimately lead to mortality. While species of low commercial value are often overlooked, having accurate information on the effects of capture on all species is necessary for ecosystem‐based management. Sea Raven (SR) Hemitripterus americanus and Longhorn Sculpin (LHS) Myoxocephalus octodecemspinosus are routinely captured in the commercial American lobster Homarus americanus fishery in the Gulf of Maine, and they are discarded due to low commercial value. Despite a lack of economic value, these predatory …

In The Face Of Climate Change And Exhaustive Exercise: The Physiological Response Of An Important Recreational Fish Species, Daniel P. Crear, Richard Brill, Lauren M.L. Averilla, Sara C. Meakem, Kevin C. Weng

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Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) support recreational fisheries along the US mid- and south-Atlantic states and have been recently subjected to increased fishing effort, primarily during their spawning season in coastal habitats where increasing temperatures and expanding hypoxic zones are occurring due to climate change. We therefore undertook a study to quantify the physiological abilities of cobia to withstand increases in temperature and hypoxia, including their ability to recover from exhaustive exercise. Respirometry was conducted on cobia from Chesapeake Bay to determine aerobic scope, critical oxygen saturation, ventilation volume and the time to recover from exhaustive exercise under temperature and …

Barriers To Eastern Oyster Aquaculture Expansion In Virginia, Jennifer Beckensteiner, David M. Kaplan, Andrew M. Scheld

VIMS Articles

The eastern oyster once provided major societal and ecosystem benefits, but these benefits have been threatened in recent decades by large declines in oyster harvests. In many areas, recovery of oyster aquaculture faces significant societal opposition and spatial constraints limiting its ability to meet expectations regarding future food needs and provision of ecosystem services. In Virginia, oyster aquaculture has begun to expand, concurrent with an increase in subaqueous leased areas (over 130,000 acres of grounds are currently leased). Though private leases must in theory be used for oyster production, in practice, they can be held for other reasons, such as …

Timing Of The Reproductive Cycle Of Waved Whelk, Buccinum Undatum, On The Us Mid-Atlantic Bight, Sarah Borsetti, Daphne Munroe, David Rudders, Jul-Han Chang

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Development of the unmanaged waved whelk (Buccinum undatum) fishery on the Mid-Atlantic continental shelf of the United States has initiated investigation into fisheries-related biological and population attributes of the species in this region. Maturation and reproduction timing vary by location for this species and are likely linked to bottom water temperature. This study examined the seasonal fluctuations in relevant body metrics and gonadosomatic index in relation to bottom temperature to assess the timing of the reproductive cycle of the B. undatum population in the southern-most extent of this species' range in the Atlantic. To characterize variation over the maturation schedule, …

Density-Dependence Mediates The Effects Of Temperature On Growth Of Juvenile Blue Catfish In Nonnative Habitats, Vaskar Nepal, Mary C. Fabrizio

VIMS Articles

The combined effects of conspecific density and climate warming on the vital rates of invasive fish species have not been well studied, but may be important in predicting how successful they will be in the future. We evaluated the effects of temperature and population density on monthly time series of sizes of age-0 Blue Catfish Ictalurus furcatus in the James, York, and Rappahannock River subestuaries (defined here as tidally influenced bodies of water that feed into the Chesapeake Bay) from 1996 to 2017, using growing degree-days (GDDs, °C day) as a measure of thermal time. Our pre- dictive linear mixed-effects …

Movements, Habitat Utilization, And Post-Release Survival Of Cobia (Rachycentron Canadum) That Summer In Virginia Waters Assessed Using Pop-Up Satellite Archival Tags, Douglas R. Jensen, John Graves

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Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) is a cosmopolitan marine fish that inhabits tropical, sub-tropical, and temperate marine and estuarine waters and supports a major recreational fishery along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts. Recent changes in U.S. cobia management have sparked controversy and highlighted limitations in our understanding of the species’ biology. This study utilized pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) to assess the movements, habitat utilization, and post-release survival of cobia that summer in Virginia waters

Investigating The Efficacy Of A Proposed Marine Protected Area For The Endangered Humphead Wrasse Cheilinus Undulatus At A Remote Island Group In Seychelles, Ryan Daly, Clare A. Keating, Andrew E. Gray, Lauren R. Peel, Luke Gordon, James S.E. Lea, Christopher R. Clarke, Kevin C. Weng

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The humphead wrasse Cheilinus undulatus is an iconic, ecologically important and Endangered fish species associated with coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific region. Due to its large size and complex life history characteristics, it is vulnerable to overfishing and has undergone substantial population declines in parts of its range. Knowledge of the species’ movement ecology is currently limited to only 2 previous studies, and very little is known about populations in the western Indian Ocean. The present study aimed to use passive acoustic telemetry to investigate the importance of a remote coral reef to a population of humphead wrasse in the …

Drivers And Trends In Catch Of Benthic Resources In Chilean Turfs And Surrounding Open Access Areas, Jennifer Beckensteiner, Andrew M. Scheld, Miriam Fernandez, David M. Kaplan

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Beginning in the 1990’s, Chile implemented an extensive Territorial User Rights for Fisheries (TURFs) network that now comprises nearly 1,000 TURFs. This network provides a rare opportunity to examine spatial and temporal trends in TURF use and impacts on surrounding open access areas (OAAs). In this analysis, landings of keyhole limpet (Fissurella spp.), kelp (Lessonia spp.) and red sea urchin (Loxechinus albus) were used to estimate catch-per-unit effort (CPUEs) and catch-per-unit area (CPUAs) indices inside and outside TURFs by fishing cove. For these species, CPUEs and CPUAs in 2015 were significantly higher inside TURFs. However, temporal trends analyzed with a …

Contemporary And Future Distributions Of Cobia, Rachycentron Canadum, Dp Crear, Be Watkins, Vs Saba, Je Graves, Dr Jensen, Aj Hobday, Kevin C. Weng

VIMS Articles

Climate change has influenced the distribution and phenology of marine species, globally. However, knowledge of the impacts of climate change is lacking for many species that support valuable recreational fisheries. Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) are the target of an important recreational fishery along the U.S. east coast that is currently the subject of a management controversy regarding allocation and stock structure. Further, the current and probable future distributions of this migratory species are unclear, further complicating decision-making. The objectives of this study are to better define the contemporary distribution of cobia along the U.S. east coast and to project potential shifts …

Sublethal Effects Of Salinity And Temperature On Non-Native Blue Catfish: Implications For Establishment In Atlantic Slope Drainages, Vaskar Nepal, Mary C. Fabrizio

VIMS Articles

The distribution and further range expansion of non-native blue catfish Ictalurus furcatus in coastal waters throughout the United States Atlantic slope depend, in part, on the salinity tolerance of the fish. However, temperature-mediated sublethal effects of increased salinities on blue catfish biology are not yet known. We assessed the effects of salinity and temperature on growth, body condition, body composition and food consumption of juvenile blue catfish in a controlled laboratory experiment. Temperature and salinity had an interactive effect on blue catfish biology, although most fish survived 112 days in salinities up to 10 psu. At salinities 9 psu) likely …

Quantifying The Behavioral And Economic Effects Of Regulatory Change In A Recreational Cobia Fishery, Andrew M. Scheld, William M. Goldsmith, Shelby White, Hamish J. Small, Susanna Musick

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Fisheries economists typically assume recreational anglers make decisions that maximize individual angler utility, which may depend on fishery and regulatory conditions. Under this framework, changes in regulations can lead to target species substitution by anglers in response to shifts in expectations of trip utility. A stated preference survey was developed and distributed to recreational cobia (Rachycentron canadum) anglers in Virginia to explore the effects of regulatory change on angler decision-making, species targeting, and resulting economic outcomes. The survey included a series of hypothetical choice scenarios, where respondents were asked to select their most preferred alternative after being presented with different …

Bony-Tongue Fishes (Teleostei: Osteoglossomorpha) From The Eocene Nanjemoy Formation, Virginia, Eric J. Hilton, Jeffrey Carpenter

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Bony-tongue fishes, Osteoglossomorpha, are distributed in North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia and are found on all continents except Antarctica in the fossil record. The group includes fishes such as the mooneyes (Hiodontidae), freshwater knifefishes (Notopteridae), elephantfishes (Mormyridae), and the arowanas and pirarucu (Osteoglossidae). Remains identified as belonging to the family Osteoglossidae are known from the Nanjemoy Formation of Maryland and northern Virginia and comprise isolated teeth and fragmentary jaw bones assigned to the now extinct †Brychaetus muelleri. The second author discovereda partial toothed parasphenoid among other isolated and frag-mentary vertebrate microfossils from the Fisher–Sullivan Site of the …

Comparative Transcriptomics Of Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion Nebulosus) Populations To Cold And Heat Stress, Jingwei Song, Jan Mcdowell

VIMS Articles

Resilience to climate change depends on a species' adaptive potential and phenotypic plasticity. The latter can enhance survival of individual organisms during short periods of extreme environmental perturbations, allowing genetic adaptation to take place over generations. Along the U.S. East Coast, estuarine‐dependent spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) populations span a steep temperature gradient that provides an ideal opportunity to explore the molecular basis of phenotypic plasticity. Genetically distinct spotted seatrout sampled from a northern and a southern population were exposed to acute cold and heat stress (5 biological replicates in each treatment and control group), and their transcriptomic responses …

Invasive Blue Catfish In The Chesapeake Bay Region: A Case Study Of Competing Management Objectives, Mary C. Fabrizio, Vaskar Nepal, Troy D. Tuckey

VIMS Articles

Freshwater fishes have been introduced outside their native range to establish recreational fisheries, but management conflicts arise when such introductions also result in potentially harmful effects on native species. In this case study, we focus on Blue Catfish Ictalurus furcatus, which were introduced in the Chesapeake Bay region and are now considered invasive. In many tidal tributaries, Blue Catfish have increased dramatically in abundance, expanded into high-salinity habitats (up to 21.8 psu), and negatively affected native species, prompting calls for the development of an effective management plan. However, management of this conflict species is complicated by multiple competing objectives, including …

Multidisciplinary Observing In The World Ocean's Oxygen Minimum Zone Regions: From Climate To Fish - The Voice Initiative, V Garcon, J Karstensen, A Palacz, Et Al, Kevin C. Weng

VIMS Articles

Multidisciplinary ocean observing activities provide critical ocean information to satisfy ever-changing socioeconomic needs and require coordinated implementation. The upper oxycline (transition between high and low oxygen waters) is fundamentally important for the ecosystem structure and can be a useful proxy for multiple observing objectives connected to eastern boundary systems (EBSs) that neighbor oxygen minimum zones (OMZs). The variability of the oxycline and its impact on the ecosystem (VOICE) initiative demonstrates how societal benefits drive the need for integration and optimization of biological, biogeochemical, and physical components of regional ocean observing related to EBS. In liaison with the Global Ocean Oxygen …

Selectivity Of Two Commercial Dredges Fished In The Northwest Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery, Sally Roman, David Rudders

VIMS Articles

Size selectivity curves were estimated for two commercial dredge configurations used in the United States Atlantic sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) fishery. Traditionally, the New Bedford Style dredge (New Bedford dredge) has been used by the commercial fleet; however, since 2013, the Coonamessett Farm Turtle Deflector Dredge (turtle dredge) has been required seasonally in the Mid-Atlantic region to minimize the capture of sea turtles. This analysis provides estimates of selectivity and relative efficiency for the turtle dredge and the New Bedford dredge. Selectivity information for the turtle dredge is currently unknown, and selectivity for the New Bedford dredge was originally assessed …

A Conservation Palaeobiological Perspective On Chesapeake Bay Oysters, Rowan Lockwood, Roger L. Mann

VIMS Articles

The eastern oyster plays a vital role in estuarine habitats, acting as an ecosystem engineer and improving water quality. Populations of Chesapeake Bay oysters have declined precipitously in recent decades. The fossil record, which preserves 500 000 years of once-thriving reefs, provides a unique opportunity to study pristine reefs to establish a possible baseline for mitigation. For this study, over 900 fossil oysters were examined from three Pleistocene localities in the Chesapeake region. Data on oyster shell lengths, lifespans and population density were assessed. Comparisons to modern Crassostrea virginica, sampled from monitoring surveys of similar environments, reveal that fossil oysters …

Analysing Tropical Elasmobranch Blood Samples In The Field: Blood Stability During Storage And Validation Of The Hemocue® Haemoglobin Analyser, Gail D. Schwieterman, Ian A. Bouyoucos, Kristy Potgieter, Colin A. Simpfendorfer, Richard Brill, Jody L. Rummer

VIMS Articles

Blood samples collected from wild-caught fishes can provide important information regarding the effects of capture (and thus post-release survival) as well as other stressors. Unfortunately, blood samples often cannot be analysed immediately upon sampling, and blood parameters (e.g. blood oxygen levels and acid–base parameters) are known to change with storage duration due to the metabolic activity of the red blood cells. We obtained blood samples from both untreated and stressed individuals of both blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) and sicklefin lemon shark (Negaprion acutidens) to determine the effects of storage duration on blood pH, haematocrit and …

High Salinity Tolerance Of Invasive Blue Catfish Suggests Potential For Further Range Expansion In The Chesapeake Bay Region, Vaskar Nepal, Mary C. Fabrizio

VIMS Articles

In estuaries, salinity is believed to limit the colonization of brackish water habitats by freshwater species. Blue catfish Ictalurus furcatus, recognized as a freshwater species, is an invasive species in tidal rivers of the Chesapeake Bay. Salinity tolerance of this species, though likely to determine its potential range expansion and dispersal in estuarine habitats, is not well-known. To address this issue, we subjected blue catfish to a short-term salinity tolerance experiment and found that this species tolerates salinities higher than most freshwater fishes and that larger blue catfish tolerate elevated salinities for longer periods compared with smaller individuals. Our …

Comparisons Of Mean Length-Based Mortality Estimators And Age-Structured Models For Six Southeastern Us Stocks, Quang C. Huynh, Nancie J. Cummings, John M. Hoenig

VIMS Articles

Length-based mortality estimators have been developed as alternative assessment methods for data-limited stocks. We compared mortality estimates from three methodologically related mean length-based methods to those from an age-structured model (ASM). We estimated fishing mortality and determined overfishing status, i.e. if F/F_MSY > 1, for six stocks which support important recreational and commercial fisheries in the southeastern United States. The similarities in historical fishing mortality between the length-based methods and the most recent assessments varied among the case studies, but the classification of overfishing status in the terminal year did not differ based on the choice of model …

Temporal, Spatial, And Biological Variation Of Nematode Epidemiology In American Eels, Zt Warshafsky, Troy D. Tuckey, Wk Vogelbein, Rj Latour, Ar Wargo

VIMS Articles

This is the accepted manuscript version of the article.

American eels (Anguilla rostrata) are infected by the non-native parasitic nematode Anguillicoloides crassus, which can cause severe swim bladder damage. We investigated epidemiology of A. crassus to better understand its population-level effects on American eels. Nematode prevalence, abundance, and intensity and swim bladder damage were quantified in glass eels, elvers, and yellow eels from the lower Chesapeake Bay and related to season of capture, river system, and total length. Age-variant force-of-infection and disease-associated mortality were estimated using a three-state irreversible disease model, which assumes recovery is not possible. Results showed glass …

Evaluation Of The Stock Structure Of Cobia (Rachycentron Canadum) In The Southeastern United States By Using Dart-Tag And Genetics Data, M Perkinson, T Darden, M Jamison, Mj Walker, Mr Denson, J Franks, R Hendon, Susanna Musick, Es Orbesen

VIMS Articles

Available tag-recapture and population genetics data for cobia (Rachycentron canadum) in the south-eastern United States were evaluated to provide information on population structure and determine the geographic boundary between stocks in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. The movements of 1750 cobia were evaluated on the basis of assigned tagging and recapture zones. Genetic samples from an additional 2796 cobia collected during the presumed spawning season were genotyped at 10 microsatellite loci, and standard population genetic statistical analyses were applied to the resulting sample data set. Tag- recapture results indicate that cobia tagged south of Cape Canaveral, Florida, …

Combined Effects Of Acute Temperature Change And Elevated Pco2 On The Metabolic Rates And Hypoxia Tolerances Of Clearnose Skate (Rostaraja Eglanteria), Summer Flounder (Paralichthys Dentatus), And Thorny Skate (Amblyraja Radiata), Gail D. Schwieterman, Daniel P. Crear, Brooke N. Anderson, Danielle R. Lavoie, James A. Sulikowski, Peter G. Bushnell, Richard Brill

VIMS Articles

Understanding how rising temperatures, ocean acidification, and hypoxia affect the performance of coastal fishes is essential to predicting species-specific responses to climate change. Although a population’s habitat influences physiological performance, little work has explicitly examined the multi-stressor responses of species from habitats differing in natural variability. Here, clearnose skate (Rostaraja eglanteria) and summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus) from mid-Atlantic estuaries, and thorny skate (Amblyraja radiata) from the Gulf of Maine, were acutely exposed to current and projected temperatures (20, 24, or 28 °C; 22 or 30 °C; and 9, 13, or 15 °C, respectively) and acidification conditions (pH 7.8 or 7.4). …

Effects Of Dietary Taurine Level On Visual Function In European Sea Bass (Dicentrarchus Labrax), Richard Brill, Andrij Z. Horodysky, Allen R. Place, Mary E. Larkin, Renate Reimschuessel

VIMS Articles

Dietary insufficiencies have been well documented to decrease growth rates and survival (and therefore overall production) in fish aquaculture. By contrast, the effects of dietary insufficiencies on the sensory biology of cultured fish remains largely unstudied. Diets based solely on plant protein sources could have advantages over fish-based diets because of the cost and ecological effects of the latter, but plant proteins lack the amino acid taurine. Adequate levels of taurine are, however, necessary for the development of a fully functional visual system in mammals. As part of ongoing studies to determine the suitability of plant-based diets, we investigated the …

Plasticity In Standard And Maximum Aerobic Metabolic Rates In Two Populations Of An Estuarine Dependent Teleost, Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion Nebulosus), Jingwei Song, Richard Brill, Jan Mcdowell

VIMS Articles

We studied the effects of metabolic cold adaptation (MCA) in two populations of a eurythermal species, spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) along the U.S. East Coast. Fish were captured from their natural environment and acclimated at control temperatures 15 °C or 20 °C. Their oxygen consumption rates, a proxy for metabolic rates, were measured using intermittent flow respirometry during acute temperature decrease or increase (2.5 °C per hour). Mass-specific standard metabolic rates (SMR) were higher in fish from the northern population across an ecologically relevant temperature gradient (5 °C to 30 °C). SMR were up to 37% higher in the northern …

Multiple Drivers Of Interannual Oyster Settlement And Recruitment In The Lower Chesapeake Bay, Brendan Turley, Kimberly S. Reece, Jian Shen, Jeong-Ho Lee, Ximing Guo, Jan Mcdowell

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Despite global investment in shellfish restoration activities, relatively little attention has been given to predicting optimal restoration sites and testing these expectations. We used a coupled biological-physical connectivity model as a guide to plant two distinct hatchery-spawned strains of the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, in the Lafayette River, Virginia during the summer of 2013 at two locations corresponding to virtual spawning locations within the connectivity model. We utilized single nucleotide polymorphism markers to test the model predictions by genotyping oysters recruited after planting two hatchery-spawned strains and examining interannual recruitment variability for two successive years. Two spat were identified …