Aquaculture and Fisheries Commons^™

Using Traps For Catfish In Virginia Tidal Rivers, James Bristow

Reports

The project tested a different way to commercially fish for catfish in the tidal rivers, while allowing by-catch and smaller catfish to escape. Ten traps were constructed of coated wire mesh and steel rod, equipped with an entry funnel, and fished alongside three strings of trot-lines in the same area and times. The test period covered September and October 2010 over a period of warm weather when salinity changed dramatically from 10 ppt to zero and water temperatures eased downward from 68 degrees to 60 degrees.

The trap design and all boat modifications operated as designed with only a few …

Analysis Of Tie Downs On Gillnet Cpue, Selectivity And Bycatch Composition, George Earl Trice Iv

Reports

The striped bass fishery is of great economic importance to Virginia’s commercial finfishermen and anchored gill nets are the predominant gear used I both coastal and estuarine waters. Unfortunately, these nets have the highest rate of Atlantic Sturgeon bycatch (85%) compared to other Virginia gear types (NMFS) and the second largest bycatch recorded by NMFS Northeast Observer Network coastally. High Atlantic Sturgeon interaction rates could result in seriously restrictive regulations being imposed on the fishery or even complete closure, one Atlantic Sturgeon are listed under the Endangered Species Act as has been proposed. Such regulations have been made in order …

Development Of Preventive Measures To Reduce Mortalities For Holding Live Wild-Caught Flounder In Recirculating Aquaculture Systems, Clarke J. Morton, Christopher D. Bentley, Et Al

Reports

A substantial high-value market exists for wild-caught live summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus). An important component of accessing this market is the ability to hold wild-caught flounder in land based recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). A major constraint to holding summer flounder in land-based RAS is fish mortalities associated with the ectoparasite argulus spp. Very little information exists that provides a live flounder holding facility with FDA approved treatment options to prevent introduction of argulus from wild caught fish into holding systems. The project objective was to test the available FDA approved chemotherapeutics for treatment of ectoparasite infections in summer flounder. To …

Hybrid Fish Capturing Device "Fcd" For Capturing Live Flounder: Final Report, Jeffrey Hammer

Reports

The purpose of this project was to determine if a device to capture live flounder could be designed and built, to catch effectively. Six FDC's were constructed, two each, of three different funnel designs. The three types of FCD,s were then placed in the water, on april I st 20 I 0, at three different locations. The FCD,s were fished, once per day , for 60 days. The locations were rotated, to give each type of funnel an equal chance. The type of funnels are as follows, # I and 2 were horizontal 2" x 12", # 3 and 4 …

Improving Gill Net Selectivity By Altering Mesh Characteristics 2010, Robert Weagley

Reports

This project was designed to further examine the effect of twine size (mesh diameter) and hanging ratio on catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) of striped bass, American shad and Atlantic sturgeon. It follows a 2009 study in which four 200' net strings, each consisting of four identically varied 50' net sections that mimicked nets fished in 2010 in every way except .62mm twine sized nets were replaced with .90mm webbing.

Developing New Value Added Products From Cow Nose Ray, L.D. Amory & Co. Inc

Reports

We are happy to report that we have met and exceeded the objectives of our project. Improved processing techniques have resulted in significantly reduced labor costs and increased yield of both fillets and byproducts, resulting in a 50% reduction in the fillet cost and viable cartilage and skin products for the commercial market. Several value-added products are under development with a battered and breaded strip product in production and on the menu at several restaurants throughout Virginia. We continue to develop other value added products and are working to create a market for ray and promote acceptance of ray products …

Method And Concept Evaluation Of Relaying Oysters From Chesapeake Bay To High Salinity Water As A Post-Harvest-Process To Reduce Vibrio Vulnificus To Undetectable Levels: Final Report, Thomas Gallivan, A. J. Erskine, Tommy Leggett, Howard Kator, Kimberly Reece

Reports

Post-harvest processing (PHP) methods for reducing vibrio levels that have been developed thus far are either capital intensive, have limited throughput, are not readily available, and/or are generally very expensive. In the summer of 2010 we initiated a small-scale evaluation to assess the effectiveness of relay to elevated salinity as a PHP strategy to reduce levels of Vibrio vulnificus in Crassostrea virginica oysters.

An Investigation Into The Beneficial Effects Of Intentionally Exposing Oysters To Air During Their Normal Growing Season, Dennis K. Gryder, Michael Oesterling, Richard H. Couch

Reports

This report describes a field experiment which was primarily intended to quantify the beneficial effects of intentionally exposing oysters to air during their growing period. Test samples were submerged in the water at different depths and the normal tidal activity uncovered the samples for differing percentages of the tide cycle. The amount of time each sample was in air was monitored by a specially designed electronic instrument and logged. The logged data was processed into graphical data showing the growth rate of the test subjects with respect to exposure. The occurrence of Polydora was also monitored during periodic inspections and …