Aquaculture and Fisheries Commons^™

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

Reports

To document continued compliance with Federal law, the Anadromous Fishes Program of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) has monitored the size and age composition, sex ratio and maturity schedules of the spawning striped bass stock in the Rappahannock River since December 1981 utilizing commercial pound nets and, since 1991, variable-mesh experimental gill nets. Spawning stock assessment was expanded to include the James River in 1994 utilizing 11 commercial fyke nets and variable-mesh experimental gill nets. The use of fyke nets was discontinued after 1997. In conjunction with the monitoring studies, tagging programs have been conducted in the James …

A Review Of Shellfish Restoration As A Tool For Coastal Water Quality Management., Michael A. Rice

Michael A Rice

In many areas, coastal residents and others oppose establishment of bivalve molluscan aquaculture projects on the basis of perceived negative environmental impacts. Often overlooked are positive environmental impacts of shellfish aquaculture that can potentially mitigate the impacts of other anthropogenic activities. Filter feeding by populations of bivalve mollusks is reviewed with respect to their ability to act as an estuarine filter, increase clarity of coastal waters and facilitate the removal of nitrogen and other nutrients from eutrophic coastal waters. Most species of cultured bivalve mollusks clear particles from waters at rates of 1 to 4 L/h, and populations of shellfish …

Effects Of Blood Extraction On The Mortality Of The Horseshoe Crab, Limulus Polyphemus, Elizabeth A. Walls, Jim Berkson

Virginia Journal of Science

Horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) are bled by biomedical companies for the extraction of Limulus Amoebocyte Lysate (LAL), a clotting agent used in the detection of endotoxins. In 1998, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission mandated that all biomedical companies collecting horseshoe crabs for the production of LAL study the horseshoe crab mortality rates resulting from the company's blood extraction process. BioWhittaker, a Cambrex Company is one of the largest producers of LAL in the world. During the summer of 1999, bled and unbled horseshoe crabs were transported from BioWhittaker's bleeding facility in Chincoteague, Virginia to the Virginia Seafood …

Phytosociological Analysis Of Restored And Managed Grassland Habitat Within An Urban National Park, Andrew M. Greller, Celestine Durando, Leslie F. Marcus, D. Siril A. Wijesundara, Michael D. Byer, Robert Cook, John T. Tanacredi Ph.D.

Faculty Works: CERCOM

Floyd Bennett Field (FBF), 579 ha in extent, is a division of Gateway National Recreation Area. It is the site of a former airfield, constructed by filling salt marshes with dredged materials. Except for the portion known locally as the “North Forty,” all sections of FBF have been cut over to maintain low vegetation. A grassland management plan (GRAMP) for 165 ha was initiated in 1986, to maintain habitats for open-country birds. Over the next few years, encroaching woody vegetation was removed manually and mechanically from the management area. Since then, it has been maintained as a grassland and receives …

Biological And Physical Observations On Larval Spot (Leiostomus Xanthurus) Recruiting To Oregon And Ocracoke Inlets North Carolina, Thomas R. Wasaff

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Patterns of abundance, length, age, and growth of larval spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) were compared to assess the variability between spot larvae ingressing to two North Carolina inlets. The source of variability for the recruitment of larval fishes to estuarine nurseries has been linked to environmental stochasticity. Wind data and seasurface temperature satellite images were analyzed as two influential environmental variables that may help explain recruitment variability. As part of the South Atlantic Bight Recruitment Experiment (SABRE), spot larvae were collected between October 1994 and April 1995 as they recruited to Pamlico Sound through Oregon Inlet, located north of Cape Hatteras, …

Evaluating The Recruitment Of American Eel, Anguilla Rostrata, To The Potomac - Spring 2000 : March 2000 - June 2000, Patrick J. Geer, Julie A. Weeder, Steven Hammond, Rudolph Lukacovic

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 …

Monitoring Relative Abundance Of American Shad In Virginia's Rivers Annual Report 1999, John E. Olney Sr., John M. Hoenig

Reports

A moratorium on the taking of American shad (Alosa sapidissima) in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries was established by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) beginning 1 January 1994. The prohibition applied to both recreational and commercial fishers. The moratorium was imposed at a time when commercial catch rates of American shad in Virginia's rivers were experiencing declines. Data from the commercial fishery were the best available for assessing the status of individual stocks. Catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) data were compiled from logbooks that recorded landings by commercial fishermen using staked gill nets at various locations throughout the middle reaches of …

The Crest, Summer 2000, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Table of Contents:

• VIMS Scientists Successfully Spawn Cobia
• NMFS Faculty Position Established at VIMS
• Scientists Discover New Species of Perkinsus
• Researchers Discover New Pollutants Infiltrating Virginia Rivers
• Sea Scallop Research Resumed in June
• MARSH Project Will Help Save Tidal Wetlands
• Virginia's Changing Coastal Community - Indicators of Change
• New Pound-Net Design Spares Young Fish
• VIMS Scientist Studies Oysters in India
• American Shad Focus of Unique Study
• From the Coleman Bridge to Menai Bridge:
• VIMS Professor Leads Field-Course in Wales
• New Experimental Design Course for Teachers
• Students Teaching Students
• Horseshoe Crab Research is Timely
• Award Winning Bridge Website Receives Renewed Funding …

Zoosporulation Of A New Perkinsus Species Isolated From The Gills Of The Softshell Clam Mya Arenaria, Sm Mclaughlin, Bd Tall, A Shaheen, Ee Elsayed, M Faisal

VIMS Articles

A gill-associated Perkinsus sp. isolated from the softshell clam (Myo arenaria) is described as a new species, P. chesapeaki sp. nov. Examination of the parasite in seawater cultures revealed life cycle stages and zoosporulation processes similar to those described for other species of the genus Perkinsus. Prezoosporangia developed thickened cell walls upon contraction of the cytoplasm and development of a distinctive clear area between the cell wall and the protoplast. Successive bipartition of the protoplast led to the formation of hundred's of zoospores within mature sporangia. Zoospores were released into seawater through one or more discharge tubes, Ultrastructural studies revealed …

A Review Of Shellfish Restoration And Management Projects In Rhode Island, Michael A. Rice, April Valliere, Angela Caporelli

Michael A Rice

Shellfish management and restoration efforts in Rhode Island date back to the 19th century. From the late 1890s to the Second World War the Rhode Island Fisheries Commission operated a lobster hatchery in Wickford Harbor in response to a perceived decline in lobster catches in Narragansett Bay. Berried lobsters were collected, eggs hatched, larvae reared, and postlarval fifth stage juveniles were released into the bay. The project was discontinued primarily because of costs and a failure to demonstrate the efficacy of juvenile seeding in improving lobster catches. From the 1930s to the 1980s, there have been several similar efforts to …

Comparison Of Larval Myomere Counts Among Species Of Nocomis In Virginia (Actinopterygii: Cyprinidae), Terre D. Green, Eugene G. Maurakis

Virginia Journal of Science

Larval myomere counts of Nocomis platyrhynchus were made using a dissecting light microscope equipped with polarizing filters, and then compared to those of the three other species of Nocomis (Nocomis leptocephalus, Nocomis micropogon, and Nocomis raneyi) found in Virginia. Average preanal myomere counts for N. platyrhynchus (26.9) were significantly different from those of the other three species (N. raneyi =28.7; N. micropogon =26.0; and N. leptocephalus =25.9). This is especially important as larvae of N. leptocephalus, the only other species of Nocomis syntopic with N. platyrhynchus in the upper New River drainage, can now …

Feeding Habits Of Young-Of-Year Striped Bass, Morone Saxatilis, And White Perch, Morone Americana, In Lower James River, Va, Paul J. Rudershausen, Joseph G. Loesch

Virginia Journal of Science

A total of 188 young-of-year (YOY) striped bass, Morone saxatilis, and 199 YOY white perch, Morone americana, were collected by pushnet, seine and trawl during 24-hour periods from June through August, 1992 in lower James River, Virginia. The purpose was to identify prey and temporal and spatial feeding habits. Copepods were the most numerous prey of both species. Fishes and mysids comprised the largest volumetric percentage of diets of striped bass and white perch, respectively. Using an index of relative importance, leptodorids and copepods were the most important prey of striped bass and white perch, respectively. Both species …

Evaluation Of Striped Bass Stocks In Virginia, Monitoring And Tagging Studies, 1999-2003 Annual Report, 1 September 1998 - 31 October 1999, Philip Sadler, Robert E. Harris, Jason Romine, John E. Olney Sr.

Reports

No abstract provided.

Monitoring Relative Abundance Of American Shad In Virginia's Rivers Annual Report 1998, John E. Olney, John Hoenig

Reports

A moratorium on the taking of American shad in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries was established by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) beginning 1 January 1994. The prohibition applied to both recreational and commercial fishers. The moratorium was imposed at a time when commercial catch rates of American shad in Virginia's rivers were experiencing declines. Data from the commercial fishery were the best available for assessing the status of individual stocks. Catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) data were compiled from logbooks that recorded landings by commercial fishermen using staked gill nets at various locations throughout the middle reaches of the three …

Estimates Of Naked Goby (Gobiosoma Bosc), Striped Blenny (Chasmodes Bosquianus) And Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica) Larval Production Around A Restored Chesapeake Bay Oyster Reef, Jm Harding, Roger L. Mann

VIMS Articles

Naked gobies (Gobiosoma bose) and striped blennies (Chasmodes bosquianus) rely on oyster reefs for nesting sites, feeding grounds, and refugia from predation by upper level piscivores. Seasonal densities of Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica), naked gobies, and striped blennies on Palace Bar Reef, Piankatank River, Virginia were quantified and used to develop species-specific larval production estimates. Densities of oyster adults, juveniles, and articulated shell valves (the result of recent mortality) did not significantly change from November 1995 to November 1996. Naked goby and striped blenny densities varied with substrate type and season; peak fish densities for both species were observed in …

The Status Of Virginia's Public Oyster Resource 1999, Melissa Southworth, Juliana Harding, Roger L. Mann

Reports

This report summarizes data collected during 1999 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.

Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program Annual Report 1999, John A. Lucy, M. D. Arendt, C.M. Bain Iii

Reports

The Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program (VGFTP), a cooperative project of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), set records for fish tagged and fish recaptured during 1998, its fourth year of operation.

Estimation Of Juvenile Striped Bass Relative Abundance In The Virginia Portion Of Chesapeake Bay, January 1999-December 1999 : Annual Progress Report, Herbert M. Austin, A. Dean Estes, Donald M. Seaver

Reports

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) has conducted a juvenile striped bass seine survey kom 1967 through 1973 and &om 1980 through the present. The primary objective has been the monitoring of the relative annual recruitment success of juvenile striped bass in the spawning and nursery areas of Lower Chesapeake Bay. Initially (1967-1973), the swey was funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and when reinstated in 1980 with funding from the National Marine Fisheries Service under the Emergency Striped Bass Study program. Commencing with the 1988 annual survey, support of the program has been jointly made through …

The Crest, Winter 2000, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Table of Contents:

• VIMS Director Invited to Speak in China Finfish Aquaculture Updates
• Riparian Buffer Demonstration Sites
• Bay-Sustaining Life Bustling On The Bottom
• New Technology Boosts Billfish Survivability Research
• A Profile of the Aquaculture Molecular Genetics Laboratory: Probing the DNA of the Oyster and its Parasite Perkinsus marinus (Dermo)
• Origin of MSX in Eastern Oyster Documented by VIMS Scientists
• Guess What Really Takes A Blue Crab's Breath Away?
• Catch and Release Symposium Tackles Tough Salt Water Fishing Issues
• Teaching Marsh Update
• Oyster Reef Habitat Restoration Book now Available
• Future Alterations to the Yangzi Estuary

Syncoelium Vermilionensis Sp. N., (Hemiuroidea: Syncoeliidae) And New Records For Members Of Azygiidae, Ptychogonimidae, And Syncoeliidae Parasitizing Elasmobranchs In The Gulf Of California, Stephen S. Curran, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

During July-September 1993 and May 1996, a survey of the metazoan parasites of 817 elasmobranchs from the Gulf of California, representing 42 species, was conducted at 14 sites along the western portion of the Gulf of California. Elasmobranchs were obtained from local commercial fishers. In this paper, we report all digeneans collected during the survey, excluding the gorgoderids, which will be presented in a subsequent paper. Four species from three hemiuroid families were collected, none of which was known previously from the Gulf of California. Syncoelium vermilionensis sp. n. (Syncoeliidae), a species that differs most notably from its congeners by …

Ecological Interactions Between Benthic Oyster Reef Fishes And Oysters, Juliana Maria Harding

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Restoration of oyster reef structures rehabilitates habitats and the multi-level ecological communities built on eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica), the keystone species. Quantitative descriptions of ecological interactions within a habitat are required to delineate essential fish habitats for management and protection. Parallel development of primary (oysters) and secondary trophic levels (benthic fishes) offer an ecological metric of restoration progress over time. The interaction between larval oysters and larval fishes (e.g., Gobiosoma bosc, Chasmodes bosquianus) is quantitatively examined. Oyster settlement estimates for Palace Bar reef, Piankatank River, Virginia are of the same order of magnitude as field densities of recently settled oysters. …