Life Sciences Commons^™

Flight Of The Freshwater Fish, Michael H. Wilson

Capstones

Michael H. Wilson

Capstone Abstract

December 27, 2016

Flight of the Freshwater Fish

The Hudson River provides for millions of people as a path for commercial and private transportation, a source of food and energy, and perhaps most importantly for many living in the tri-state area as a destination for recreation and relaxation. The most overlooked feature of the river is how the wildlife shows clear signs of a changing climate and rapid environmental response to the impacts of global warming on the river.

Entire populations of fish species in the lower Hudson have been forced to leave the river …

The Benthic Feeding Ecology Of Round Goby Fry, Dylan Samuel Olson

Theses and Dissertations

Larval and juvenile stage events play a dominant role in regulating the ultimate recruitment strength of fish populations. As such, the feeding ecology of early life stages are useful for interpreting the proximate causes of recruitment variability. This study provides the first targeted study of the early juvenile (“fry”) diet of the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus, Pallas 1814), a prominent Great Lakes invasive fish. Previous accounts of the diets of round goby fry in the Great Lakes have been based upon by-catch from nocturnal, pelagic studies. Alternatively, we sampled diurnally (day) in diverse benthic environments including open lake, embayment, and …

Growth And Reproduction Of Southern Flounder (Paralichthys Lethostigma) In The North-Central Gulf Of Mexico, Morgan Marie Corey

Master's Theses

Southern Flounder Paralichthys lethostigma is the most commonly harvested flatfish in the north-central Gulf of Mexico (GOM) and supports a major inshore recreational fishery, yet knowledge of the species’ life history is greatly limited. The objective of this research was to describe the growth and reproduction of Southern Flounder in the Mississippi stock. Fish were collected during September 2014 to March 2016 using primarily recreational fishing techniques. Otoliths (n = 313) were sectioned to estimate age, and multiple length-at-age models were fit to total length (TL, mm) and age estimate (y) data. Gonadal tissue samples (n = 221) …

The Effectiveness Of Periodically-Harvested Closures In Meeting Ecological And Socioeconomic Objectives, Paul G. Carvalho

Master's Theses

Periodically-harvested fisheries closures (PHCs) are a widespread form of community-based marine spatial management used throughout the Indo-Pacific that also is currently being intensively advocated by conservation organizations for supporting productive fisheries and healthy marine ecosystems. However, local implementation of PHCs has historically been designed to support occasional and efficient exploitation of fish stocks, and not necessarily sustainable fisheries yields and stock conservation. The efficacy of PHCs for achieving their historical cultural objectives of periodicity and efficiency of harvest, simultaneously with achieving contemporary fisheries objectives of fisheries productivity and conservation is undetermined. As a result, the utility of PHCs for supporting …

Aligning Conservation Goals And Management Objectives For Bonneville Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus Clarki Utah) In The Logan River, Utah, Harrison E. Mohn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Rivers are often managed without informed knowledge of how sportfish use different areas of the river to reproduce, and rarely take into account the relationship between fish movement and how they are distributed within the river when making management decisions. The population of native Bonneville cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki utah) within the Logan River is the largest documented population remaining for this imperiled species, and still maintains extremely high numbers of fish in the upper river. Currently, fishing is not allowed in the upper 20 kilometers of the Logan River watershed during spawning, based on the assumption that …

The Wetted Ramp As A Useful Tool To Service Smaller-Bodied Finfishes At Low-Head Acquatic Barriers, Levi Kivari

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the effects of finfish length and behavior on passage success on the wetted ramp, a proposed passage device for finfishes at low-head aquatic barriers. There were two hypotheses: there is a size effect to passage success because larger fish have relatively less propulsive surface area in partial submersion, and fish respond to changes in ramp angle of inclination during a passage attempt. Creek chub (Semotilus atromaculatus) and white sucker (Catostomus commersonii) were observed, using a high speed camera, as they attempted to scale the wetted ramp. Smaller fish traveled farther and were also able to accelerate on …