Aquaculture and Fisheries Commons^™

Survival And Growth Of Venus Mercenaria, Venus Campechiensis, And Their Hybrids In Suspended Trays And On Natural Bottoms, Dexter Haven, Jay D. Andrews

VIMS Articles

In. the course of laboratory experiments on spawning of mollusks and propagation of larvae and young, Loosanoff and Davis (1950) of the Milford Laboratory of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service crossed the southern hard-shell clam, Venus campechiensis Gmelin, with the northern species Venus mercenaria Linne (Loosanoff, personal communication). ·To determine the ecological adaptations of the hybrids, groups of the parent species and their reciprocal hybrids were sent for testing to six laboratories from Maine to Florida, The northern quahog or hard-shell clam inhabits the shores of the Western.Atlantic from·the. Gulf·of St. Lawrence to Florida and the Gulf of …

Trapping Oyster Drills In Virginia Iii. The Catch Per Trap In Relation To Condition Of Bait, J. L. Mchugh

VIMS Articles

In the course of trapping experiments previously described (Andrews 1955, McHugh 1955), a question arose concerning deterioration of bait with time. It is fairly obvious to those who fish the traps that the condition of the bait changes. The smallest oysters die first, through predation by drills, crabs, and other enemies, and through smothering in the muddy bottom. Barnacles and other organisms on the shells also die from various causes. The valves of the dead oysters soon separate, and some are lost through meshes of the trap, so that the volume of bait also decreases. Stauber (1943) found that efficiency …

The Survival And Growth Of South Carolina Seed Oysters In Virginia Waters, Jay D. Andrews, J. L. Mchugh

VIMS Articles

Most of the seed oysters planted on private grounds along the Atlantic Coast of the United States are obtained from public seed beds. The supply depends largely upon a wild crop over which there is little control. It is to be expected, perhaps, that the quantity of seed available at various localities along the coast is in proportion to the duration of the warm season. It follows that oystermen are usually searching southward for their supply of seed and the ramifications of this hunt are complex and ever changing.

Some Effects Of High-Frequency X-Rays On The Oyster Drill Urosalpinx Cinerea, William J. Hargis Jr., Mary F. Arrighi, Robert W. Ramsey, R. Williams

VIMS Articles

Scientists of ·the.Department of Agriculture (Bushland et al. 1955) recently announced the successful eradication of the screw-worm, Callitroga hominivorax, from the Dutch Island of Curacao. This was accomplished by releasing x-ray steralized males, which competed successfully with normal indigenous males for the females. After such matings the monogamous females deposited only sterile egg masses. Although several releases, Were necessary, eventually no fertile eggs Were detected at any of the.numerous observation points. Subsequent checks failed to reveal any live flies.

Because existing information concerning ecology and reproduction of drills appeared favorable, our group was encouraged to investigate this technique as a …

History Of Virginia's Commercial Fisheries: Neglected Historical Records Throw Light On Today's Problems, J. L. Mchugh, Robert S. Bailey

VIMS Articles

As the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery made their way through Hampton Roads and up the James River toward Jarnestown in 1607, they traversed a 15-mile stretch of water that was to play an important part in the history and economy of Virginia. Beneath these pleasant waters, and sometimes forming reefs that were awash at low tide, lay the most prolific natural oyster beds in the world. Three hundred and fiftv years later these grounds still provide the seed that makes Virginia's oyster industry supreme, producing about one-quarter of the nation's supply of these delicious mollusks.

Had they …

Oyster Mortality Studies In Virginia. Ii. The Fungus Disease Caused By Dermocystidium Marinum In Oysters Of Chesapeake Bay, Jay D. Andrews, Willis G. Hewatt

VIMS Articles

A high death rate of oysters in Virginia waters during the warm months of summer and fall was reported by Hewatt & Andrews (1954b). One of the most important causes of this warm-season mortality is the fungus Dermocystidium marinum, a pathogen discovered in the Gulf of Mexico by Mackin, Owen & Collier (1950). The fungus is found along the coast of the Western Atlantic from Delaware Bay to Florida and on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Texas.

In Chesapeake Bay the disease was studied for pathogenicity to oysters, seasonal occurrence, distribution, and its effect on …

Distribution, Growth, And Availability Of Juvenile Croaker, Micropogon Undulatus, In Virginia, Dexter S. Haven

VIMS Articles

The shore fisheries of Virginia have long produced an important part of the nation's seafood supply. The principal fishing gears, the pound net and the haul seine, take a variety of fishes, of which the most important is the croaker, Micropogon undulatus. Prior to World War II from one-quarter to one-half of the landings of food fishes in Virginia consisted of croakers, and the catch reached a maximum in 1945 when more than 55 million pounds were landed (Fig. 1). Since that time the croaker catch has decreased precipitously, and in 1952, the latest year for which records are available, …