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Evaluation Of Striped Bass Stocks In Virginia, Monitoring And Tagging Studies, 1999-2003 Annual Report, 1 August 2002 - 31 August 2003, Philip W. Sadler, Robert J. Latour, Robert E. Harris, Julia Ellis, John E. Olney

Reports

This report presents the results of striped bass (Marone saxatilis) tagging and monitoring activities in Virginia during the period 1 August 2002 through 31 August 2003. It includes an assessment ofthe biological characteristics of striped bass taken from the 2003 spring spawning run, estimates of annual survival based on annual spring tagging, and the results ofthe fall2002 directed mortality study that is cooperative with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The information contained in this report is required by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and is used to implement a coordinated management plan for striped bass in Virginia, and …

The Crest, Fall 2003, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Table of Contents:

• VIMS hires new Dean and Director
• Hurricane Isabel hinders research
• VIMS acquires unique new vessel
• Pair pursue promise of proteomics
• Research questions environmental safety of flame retardant
• VIMS scientists quantify Isabel's impact on Bay
• Schaffner Elected ERF President
• ABC continues oyster work with Academy validation
• Newman wins SETAC Founders Award
• Faculty help bring minorities to marine science
• Sea Grant sponsors seafood education programs
• VIMS hosts international sediment conference
• Students chosen as Knauss Fellows
• Aquanauts visit inner space
• Study highlights link between biodiversity and ecosystem function
• CCRM kicks off trans-Atlantic collaboration

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 …

The Crest, Summer 2003, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Table of Contents:

• TBT or not TBT: Collaborators Search for a Solution to Pollution
• VIMS research helps protect Navy ships from mines
• Switch to Circle Hooks Would Benefit White Marlin
• Do Tags Put a Drag on Marine Organisms?
• Video Technology Links VIMS to the World
• For-hire Fishing Captains Drawn to Regional Workshops
• Teachers Gain Hands-On Research Experience
• Pair Use Neural Network to Predict Hurricane Waves
• Seamount Census Reveals New and Poorly Known Marine Life
• VIMS Helps Local Students Aid Oyster Restoration Effort
• From Counting Fish to Implementing Energy Policy

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 …

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

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 …

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

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

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

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 …

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 …

Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program Annual Report 2002, John A. Lucy, C.M. Bain Iii

Reports

The Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program (VGFTP), in its eighth year during 2002, systematically trains and assists anglers in tagging a select number of species important to Virginia's marine recreational fishery and maintains the resulting tagging database. A cooperative project of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), the program is primarily funded with revenues from Virginia's saltwater recreational fishing license funds (Recreational Fishing Development Fund). In addition, support for the program is provided by Virginia's Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program at VIMS.

Metabolic Rates And Bioenergetics Of Juvenile Sandbar Sharks (Carcharhinus Plumbeus), W. Wesley Dowd

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The lower Chesapeake Bay and adjacent coastal waters serve as the primary summer nursery areas for juvenile sandbar sharks (Carcharhinus plumbeus) in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. The large population of juvenile sandbar sharks in this ecosystem benefits from increased food availability that fuels rapid growth and from limited exposure to large shark predators. Juvenile growth and survival is the most critical life history stage for sandbar sharks, and juvenile nursery grounds will continue to play an important role in the slow recovery of this stock from severe population declines due to overfishing. The goal of this study was to assess …

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.

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 …

The Crest, Winter 2003, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Table of Contents:

• VIMS research helps protect Navy ships from mines
• Moore monitors water quality and seagrasses
• Orth studies seed predators
• Researchers see Bay in a grain of sand
• VIMS reviews VSC proposal
• NAS studies C. ariakensis
• Steinberg conducts zooplankton census
• Russian taxonomist visits
• Schaffner wins award
• VIMS work on hard clams pays off
• VIMS leads Antarctic LTER Program
• VIMS helps manage shellfish waters

Diet Of The Sandbar Shark, Carcharhinus Plumbeus, In Chesapeake Bay And Adjacent Waters, Julia K. Ellis

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus, is the most abundant large coastal shark in the temperate and tropical waters of the northwest Atlantic Ocean. The Chesapeake Bay, Virginia and adjacent waters serve as a nursery ground for C. plumbeus as well as many other fauna. Characterizing the diet of a higher trophic level predator such as the sandbar shark sheds light on a small portion of the temporally and spatially complex food web in the Bay. This study describes the diet of the sandbar shark, highlighting differences in diet within various portions of the nursery area, as well as ontogenetic changes …

Estimation Of Juvenile Striped Bass Relative Abundance In The Virginia Portion Of Chesapeake Bay, January 2002-December 2002 : Annual Progress Report, Herbert M. Austin, A. Dean Estes, Donald M. Seaver

Reports

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VlMS) has conducted a juvenile striped bass seine -ey from 1967 through 1973 and from 1980 through the present. The primary objective has been the monitoring of the relative amnal recruitment success ofjuvenile stripedbass in the spawning and nursery areas of Lower Chesapeake Bay. Initially (1967-1973), the survey 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 Sportfish …

Predators In Action : Rapa Whelks Vs. Hard Clams, Juliana M. Harding, Vicki P. Clark, Roger L. Mann

Reports

This booklet gives information and data-based exercises describing ecological and economic connections between introduced rapa whelk Rapana venosa predators and local hard clams Mercenaria mercenaria in the lower Chesapeake Bay. The information is focused to answer the question: "How many hard clams could a rapa whelk eat in one year?

The Status Of Virginia's Public Oyster Resource 2002, Melissa Southworth, Juliana Harding, Roger L. Mann

Reports

This report summarizes data collected during 2011 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.