Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Publication
- Publication Type
Articles 1 - 4 of 4
Full-Text Articles in Aquaculture and Fisheries
Description, Distribution, And Abundance Of The Blue Crab, Callinectes Sapidus (Rathbun), Spawning Stock Of The Lower Chesapeake Bay, Patrick John Geer
Description, Distribution, And Abundance Of The Blue Crab, Callinectes Sapidus (Rathbun), Spawning Stock Of The Lower Chesapeake Bay, Patrick John Geer
OES Theses and Dissertations
The lower Chesapeake Bay spawning stock of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, (Rathbun), is examined for seven years (1986 - 1992) in an attempt to better understand stock behavior. Three methods of post-stratification are used to describe the distribution and movement of the population over time. The three methods, density strata, geographic zones, and depth strata, did well in explaining movements of the population, indicating a trend of increased concentration of blue crabs near the eastern Bay late in the spawning season - October. The data suggest a bimodal period of spawning and a trimodal period of abundance. The …
Age, Growth, And Mortality Of Atlantic Croaker, Micropogonias Undulatus, In The Chesapeake Bay Region, With A Discussion Of Apparent Geographic Changes In Population Dynamics, Luiz R. Barbieri, Mark E. Chittenden Jr., Cynthia M. Jones
Age, Growth, And Mortality Of Atlantic Croaker, Micropogonias Undulatus, In The Chesapeake Bay Region, With A Discussion Of Apparent Geographic Changes In Population Dynamics, Luiz R. Barbieri, Mark E. Chittenden Jr., Cynthia M. Jones
OES Faculty Publications
Atlantic croaker, Micropogonias undulatus, collected from commercial catches in Chesapeake Bay and in Virginia and North Carolina coastal waters during 1988-1991 (n=1,967) were aged from transverse otolith sections. Ages 1-8 were recorded, but eight-year-old fish were rare. Marginal increment analysis showed that for ages 1-7, annuli are formed once a year during the period April-May. Otolith age readings were precise: >99% agreement within and between readers. Observed lengths-at-age were highly variable and growth rate decreased after the first year. Despite the high variability in sizes-at-age, observed lengths for ages 1-7 fit the von Bertalanffy growth model (r2=0.99; n=753) well. …
Spatial And Temporal Occurrence Of Spanish Mackerel Scomberomorus Maculatus In Chesapeake Bay, Mark E. Chittenden Jr., Luiz R. Barbieri, Cynthia M. Jones
Spatial And Temporal Occurrence Of Spanish Mackerel Scomberomorus Maculatus In Chesapeake Bay, Mark E. Chittenden Jr., Luiz R. Barbieri, Cynthia M. Jones
OES Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Age, Growth, And Reproduction Of Tautog Tautoga Onitis (Labridae: Perciformes) From Coastal Waters Of Virginia, E. Brian Hostetter, Thomas A. Munroe
Age, Growth, And Reproduction Of Tautog Tautoga Onitis (Labridae: Perciformes) From Coastal Waters Of Virginia, E. Brian Hostetter, Thomas A. Munroe
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Tautog Tautoga onitis are gaining popularity in Virginia's coastal waters as a recreational and food fish. Adult tautog are seasonally abundant on inshore hard-bottom habitats (1-10 m) and inhabit offshore areas (10-75 m) year-round. Juveniles, especially newly-settled recruits, inhabit vegetated areas in shallow water (usually < 1 m). From March 1979 to July 1986, tautog were collected in lower Chesapeake Bay and nearby coastal waters to examine age, growth, and sexual maturation. Age estimates were determined from annular marks on opercle bones: 82% of the fish were age-10 or younger, 18% exceeded age-10, and 1% were age-20 or older. Marginal increment analysis revealed that annuli formed concurrent with a protracted spawning season (April-July). The von Bertalanffy growth equation, derived from back-calculated mean lengths-at-age, was l(t) = 742 [1-e-0.085 (t-1.816)]. Tautog are long-lived (25+ yr) and attain relatively large sizes (672 mm TL) slowly (K for sexes combined = 0.085). Growth rates of both sexes are similar, although males grow slightly faster (K = 0.090 vs. 0.085 for females). Maturity occurs at age-3 in both sexes. Growth rates for tautog from Virginia are similar to those reported nearly 25 years ago for tautog in Rhode Island. Growth rates for tautog are similar to those of other reef fishes, such as snappers and groupers. Habitat restriction, slow growth, great longevity, and increasing popularity by user groups may contribute to over-exploitation of this species in Virginia waters.