Aquaculture and Fisheries Commons^™

Initial Market Assessment Of The Cultured, Non-Native Oyster C. Ariakensis, Robert A. Fisher

Reports

No abstract provided.

Market Assessment And Feasibility Analysis For Small Scale Aquaculture Development In The Southside Of Virginia Aquaculture Cooperative Feasibility Study, Thomas J. Murray

Reports

No abstract provided.

Derelict Blue Crab Trap Impacts On Marine Fisheries In The Lower York River, Virginia, Kirk J. Havens, Donna Marie Bilkovic, David Stanhope, Kory Angstadt, Carl Hershner, Center For Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

In Virginia, an examination of existing derelict trap data retrieved from Chesapeake Bay Multispecies Monitoring and Assessment Program (ChesMMAP) trawl surveys shows the potential effect of derelict traps on fish communities in Virginia waters (Bonzek and Latour 2005). Since 2002, ChesMMAP has attempted to sample 90 stations in the mainstem Chesapeake Bay ranging from the southern edge of the Susquehanna Flats to the Bay mouth in all depths to a minimum of 10 feet during each cruise. There are approximately 4-5 cruises per year and a large mesh bottom trawl is used to capture adult fish of a variety of …

An Evaluation Of The Behavioral Responses Of Cownose Rays (Rhinoptera Bonasus) To Permanent Magnets And Electropositive Alloys, Robert A. Fisher, Eric M. Stroud, Michael M. Herrmann, Patrick H. Rice

Reports

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Striped Bass Stocks In Virginia: Monitoring And Tagging Studies, 2004-2008, 1 September 2005 - 31 August 2006, Philip W. Sadler, John M. Hoenig, Robert E. Harris

Reports

This report presents the results of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) tagging and monitoring activities in Virginia during the period 1 September 2005 through 31 August 2006. It includes an assessment of the biological characteristics of striped bass taken from the 2006 spring spawning run, estimates of annual survival and fishing mortality based on annual spring tagging, and the preliminary results of the fall 2005 study that documents the prevalence of mycobacterial infections of striped bass in Chesapeake Bay. The information contained in this report is required by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and is used to implement a coordinated …

Genetic Analysis Of White Marlin (Tetrapturus Albidus) Stock Structure, John Graves, Jan Mcdowell

VIMS Articles

The genetic basis of stock structure of white marlin (Tetrapturus albidus Poey, 1860) was inferred from analyses of five tetranucleotide repeat microsatellite loci (n = 214) and the mitochondrial (mt)DNA control region (n = 99) of white marlin from four geographic regions in the Atlantic Ocean. Considerable genetic variation was present in all collections for all molecular markers. Analysis of replicate collections taken in different years from three regions revealed no significant differences in the distribution of allele frequencies among years within regions. The value of global F-statistics for both multilocus microsatellite data and mtDNA control region sequences approached significance …

An Assessment Of Sea Scallop Abundance And Distribution In Selected Areas Of Georges Bank And The Mid-Atlantic Part I: Abundance, Distribution And Biomass Part Ii: Selectivity Of A New Bedford Style Sea Scallop Dredge, William D. Dupaul, David Rudders, Noelle Yochum

Reports

No abstract provided.

An Assessment Of Sea Scallop Abundance And Distribution In Selected Areas Of Georges Bank And The Mid-Atlantic Part Ii: Selectivity Of A New Bedford Style Sea Scallop Dredge, Noelle Yochum, William D. Dupaul, David B. Rudders

Reports

No abstract provided.

Phylogeny Of Recent Billfishes (Xiphioidei), Bb Collette, Jan Mcdowell, John Graves

VIMS Articles

Billfishes are genetically and morphologically distinct enough from scombroids to merit placement in a separate suborder, Xiphioidei. Two extant families are usually recognized: Xiphiidae (swordfish, Xiphias) and Istiophoridae, currently containing three genera, Istiophorus (sailfishes), Makaira (marlins), and Tetrapturus (spearfishes, white, and striped marlins). Phylogenetic analyses of molecular data from mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences (mitochondrial control region, ND2, 12S, and nuclear MN 32 regions) show a different picture of relationships. Makaira is not monophyletic: blue marlin cluster with sailfish and placement of black marlin is unstable. Accepting the molecular phylogeny gives two possible classifications: (1) two genera: blue marlin + …

Detection Of Panulirus Argus Virus 1 (Pav1) In The Caribbean Spiny Lobster Using Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (Fish), Cw Li, Jeffrey D. Shields, Hamish J. Small, Kimberly S. Reece, Et Al

VIMS Articles

Panulirus argus Virus 1 (PaV1) is the first virus known to be pathogenic to a wild lobster. It infects the Caribbean spiny lobster P. argus from the Florida Keys, and has a predilection for juveniles. The monitoring of the virus in wild populations and study of its behavior in the laboratory require the development of reliable diagnostic tools. A sensitive and specific fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay was developed for detection of PaV1. The lower detection limit using a 110 bp DNA probe in a dot-blot hybridization for PaV1 DNA was 10 pg of cloned template PaV1 DNA and …

Estimating Relative Juvenile Abundance Of Recreationally Important Finfish And Crustaceans In The Virginia Portion Of Chesapeake Bay (Project No. Rf 05-02) June 2005-May 2006, Marcel M. Montaine, Mary C. Fabrizio

Reports

No abstract provided.

An Assessment Of Sea Scallop Abundance And Distribution In The Elephant Trunk Closed Area: June 2006, William D. Dupaul, David Rudders

Reports

No abstract provided.

Chesapeake Bay Trophic Interactions Laboratory Services (Ctils): : Project Rf 05-12, June 2003-June 2006, Final Report, Debra Parthree, Christopher F. Bonzek, Robert J. Latour

Reports

Stomach samples or whole fish were obtained from a network of up to eight participating fisheries surveys in the Chesapeake Bay area. Field supplies and sample transport were provided by CTILS. Whole fish were processed for length, weight, and sex determination. Stomachs were removed and analyzed in the laboratory and prey types determined. In support of ecosystem-based fisheries management, estimates of locationspecific diet composition were produced for each species. Comparisons of dietary habits of each species among a range of habitats in the Bay and throughout various time frames were made.

Estimating Relative Abundance Of Young Of Year American Eel, Anguilla Rostrata, In The Virginia Tributaries Of Chesapeake Bay (Spring 2005), Marcel M. Montane, Wendy A. Lowery, Hank Brooks, Aimee D. Halvorson

Reports

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) adopted the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (hereafter referred to as FMP) for the American eel in November 1999. The FMP focuses on increasing coastal states’ efforts to collect American eel data through both fishery dependent and fishery independent studies. Consequently, member jurisdictions (including Virginia) agreed to implement an annual survey for YOY American eels. The survey is intended to “…characterize trends in annual recruitment of the YOY eels over time [to produce a] qualitative appraisal of the annual recruitment of American eel to the U.S. Atlantic Coast” (ASMFC, 2000). The development of these …

Genetic Heterogeneity Of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Caught In The Eastern North Atlantic Ocean South Of Iceland, J Carlsson, Jr Mcdowell, Et Al

VIMS Articles

Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) are currently managed by the member nations of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) as distinct western and eastern stocks, separated by the 45 degrees W meridian. Previous studies of Atlantic bluefin tuna caught in the northeast Atlantic south of Nor-way suggested mixing of putative stocks in the region, based on abrupt shifts in the size and condition of fish during the fishing season. By contrast, more recent studies south of Iceland reported only small differences in size of tuna caught at different times of the season in that area. To …

An Assessment Of Sea Scallop Abundance And Distribution In Selected Areas Of Georges Bank And The Mid-Atlantic, William D. Dupaul, David Rudders

Reports

No abstract provided.

Status Of The Major Oyster Diseases In Virginia 2005 A Summary Of The Annual Monitoring Program, Ryan Carnegie, Eugene M. Burreson

Reports

More normal riverflows and salinities returned in 2005 after two very wet years. Temperatures were somewhat colder than normal during the winter, and warmer during the summer. The physical environment was generally more favorable for parasite activity, and thus brought a slight increase in prevalence and intensity of the oyster diseases caused by Perkinsus marinus (Dermo) and Haplosporidium nelsoni (MSX). Among quarterly James River Survey sites, maximum annual P. marinus prevalences returned to levels typical of the mid- 1990s, before the years of drought. P. marinus prevalence reached 92% at Wreck Shoal, 56% at Point of Shoal, 68% at Horsehead …

The Crest, Summer 2006, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Table of Contents:

• Menhaden research
• Sea Grant renews effort to manage cownose rays
• Food-web study aids management of biodiversity
• Horodysky throws light on fish vision Research reveals lobsters avoid sick neighbors
• New faculty brushes aside disciplinary boundaries
• Research helps created wetlands come to life
• Miselis chosen as Foster Scholar
• Wetlands workshop promotes informed management
• VIMS bestows 2005 Awards
• Duffy and Lipcius win Leopold Fellowships
• Alum coaches high school team to national recognition
• VIMS alumna receives prestigious national award
• Lucy wins Hutchinson conservation award
• Newsbriefs

Virginia Shellfish Aquaculture Situation And Outlook Report : Results Of The 2004-2006 Virginia Shellfish Aquaculture Crop Reporting Survey, Thomas J. Murray, Michael J. Oesterling

Reports

Growth of the shellfish aquaculture industry in Virginia has added significant value to the state’s seafood marketplace. Today, watermen continue to harvest both hard clams and oysters from the state’s public resources, albeit at diminished rates. At the same time, Virginia’s watermen-farmers are providing growing quantities of additional quality shellfish to consumers. Following the lead of the hard clam industry, there has been a significant transition to intensive aquaculture of native oysters in recent years. The once extensive oyster planting has disappeared primarily as a result of endemic oyster diseases and increasing wildlife predation of seed oysters. In its place …

Vims Researchers Anticipate High Levels Of Dermo In 2006, Ryan Carnegie, Gene Burreson, Erin Seiling

Reports

No abstract provided.

Evaluating Recruitment Of American Eel, Anguilla Rostrata, To The Potomac River (Spring 2006), Marcel M. Montane, Wendy A. Lowery, Hank Brooks, Aimee D. Halvorson

Reports

Fisheries management techniques are not often applied to American eels because basic biological information is not well known. Unknown biological parameters such as variation in growth rates and length at age have complicated stock assessment and management efforts. Though American eel are not usually considered a sport fish, their ubiquity and readiness to take a bait leads them to be caught by recreational fishermen (Collette and Klein-MacPhee, 2002). Young American eel are also used as a baitfish in coastal areas (Jenkins and 4 Burkhead, 1993.) Absence of basic population dynamics data has hampered attempts at evaluation of regional exploitation rates …

Assessing A Decade Of Implementing Water Quality Best Management Practices (Bmps) At Virginia Marinas 1994 Vs. 2005, Thomas J. Murray

Reports

No abstract provided.

Monitoring Relative Abundance Of American Shad In Virginia Rivers 2005 Annual Report, John E. Olney, Kristen A. Delano

Reports

Concern about the decline in landings of American shad (Alosa sapidissima) along the Atlantic coast prompted the development of an interstate fisheries management plan (FMP) under the auspices of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Management Program (ASMFC 1999). Legislation enables imposition of federal sanctions on fishing in those states that fail to comply with the FMP. To be in compliance, coastal states are required to implement and maintain fishery-dependent and fishery-independent monitoring programs as specified by the FMP. For Virginia, these requirements include spawning stock assessments, the collection of biological data on the spawning run (e.g., age-structure, sex ratio, and …

Economic Activity Associated With The Inaugural “Virginia In-Water Boat Expo”, September 9-11, 2005, Thomas J. Murray

Reports

No abstract provided.

Incentive-Based Approaches To Sustainable Fisheries, Rq Grafton, R Arnason, Et Al, Je Kirkley, Et Al

VIMS Articles

The failures of traditional target-species management have led many to propose an ecosystem approach to fisheries to promote sustainability. The ecosystem approach is necessary, especially to account for fishery-ecosystem interactions, but by itself is not sufficient to address two important factors contributing to unsustainable fisheries: inappropriate incentives bearing on fishers and the ineffective governance that frequently exists in commercial, developed fisheries managed primarily by total-harvest limits and input controls. We contend that much greater emphasis must be placed on fisher motivation when managing fisheries. Using evidence from more than a dozen natural experiments in commercial fisheries, we argue that incentive-based …

The Status Of Virginia's Public Oyster Resource 2005, Melissa Southworth, Juliana Harding, Roger L. Mann

Reports

This report summarizes data collected during 2005 in the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay. The report is comprised of two parts, part one, oyster recruitment (shell string) in Virginia and part two, dredge survey of selected oyster bars in Virginia.

Fish Assemblages Found In Tidal-Creek And Seagrass Habitats In The Suwannee River Estuary, Troy D. Tuckey, Mark Dehaven

VIMS Articles

Fish assemblages were investigated in tidal-creek and seagrass habitats in the Suwannee River estuary, Florida. A total of 91,571 fish representing 43 families were collected in monthly seine samples from January 1997 to December 1999. Tidal creeks supported greater densities of fish (3.89 fish/m(2); 83% of total) than did seagrass habitats (0.93 fish/m(2)). We identified three distinct fish assemblages in each habitat: winter-spring, summer, and fall. Pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides), pigfish (Orthopristis chrysoptera), and syngnathids characterized seagrass assemblages, whereas spot (Leiostomus xanthurus), bay anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli), silversides (Menidia spp.), mojarras (Eucinostomus spp.), and fundulids characterized tidal-creek habitats. Important recreational and commercial …

Liver Carcinogenesis In A Non-Migratory Fish: The Association With Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Exposure, Wolfgang K. Vogelbein, M. A. Unger

VIMS Articles

Field and laboratory studies indicate a strong positive association between exposure to chemical pollutants in aquatic environments and development of neoplasia in fishes. This brief communication reviews some of the more important North American and European studies that have been conducted on this relationship. We then review work conducted on a small nonmigratory estuarine cyprinodontid teleost fish, the mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus) in the industrialized Elizabeth River, Virginia USA. Histopathological surveys of mummichogs from variously degraded habitats indicate an association between PAH exposure and development of neoplasia. We have observed non-neoplastic lesions, preneoplasms and hepatic, biliary, exocrine pancreatic and vascular neoplasms …

Molecular Detection Of Hematodinium Spp. In Norway Lobster Nephrops Norvegicus And Other Crustaceans, Hamish J. Small, Dm Neil, Ac Taylor, Et Al

VIMS Articles

The Norway lobster Nephrops norvegicus (L.) from the coastal waters of Scotland is seasonally infected by a parasitic dinoflagellate of the genus Hematodinium. Methods used to detect infection include a morphological index (pleopod diagnosis) and several immunoassays. The present study describes the development and application of a set of Hematodinium-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers and DNA probes based on Hematodinium ribosomal DNA (rDNA). In the PCR assay, a diagnostic band of 380 bp was consistently amplified from total genomic DNA isolated from Hematodinium-infected N. norvegicus. The sensitivity of the assay was 1 ng DNA, which is equivalent to 0.6 …

Standard And Routine Metabolic Rates Of Juvenile Sandbar Sharks (Carcharhinus Plumbeus), Including The Effects Of Body Mass And Acute Temperature Change, W Wesley Dowd, Richard Brill, Peter Bushnell, John A. Musick

VIMS Articles

Standard and routine metabolic rates (SMRs and RMRs, respectively) of juvenile sandbar sharks (Carcharhinus plumbeus) were measured over a range of body sizes (n=34) and temperatures normally associated with western Atlantic coastal nursery areas. The mean SMR Q(10) (increase in metabolic rate with temperature) was 2.9 +/- 0.2. Heart rate decreased with increasing body mass but increased with temperature at a Q(10) of 1.8-2.2. Self-paired measures of SMR and RMR were obtained for 15 individuals. Routine metabolic rate averaged 1.8 +/- 0.1 times the SMR and was not correlated with body mass. Assuming the maximum metabolic rate of sandbar sharks …