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Analysis Of The Spatial Dynamics Of The American Lobster (Homarus Americanus) Fishery Along The Coast Of Maine, Kevin M. Scheirer Dec 2003

Analysis Of The Spatial Dynamics Of The American Lobster (Homarus Americanus) Fishery Along The Coast Of Maine, Kevin M. Scheirer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The American lobster (Homarus americanus) supports the most valuable commercial fishery in the northeastern United States, thus the fishery is critical to Maine's economy. No systematic study has been done to collect information about, identify, and quantify the spatial dynamics of the Maine lobster fishery. This project helps to provide a better understanding of Maine's lobster fishery dynamics, and it will aid f'iture efforts to improve the stock assessment of Maine's lobster fishery. The analysis consists of three distinct parts: (1) comparison of data collected by two separate fishery dependent sampling programs; (2) spatial analysis of electronic logbook data; and …


Specific Dynamic Action, Growth And Development In Larval Atlantic Cod, Gadus Morhua, Jessica A. Geubtner Dec 2003

Specific Dynamic Action, Growth And Development In Larval Atlantic Cod, Gadus Morhua, Jessica A. Geubtner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The larval stage of marine fish is a period of rapid growth and development. Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) are approximately 4-5 rnm in length upon hatch and feed endogenously from their yolk sac for the first week. After this time, larval cod must successfully capture live prey to survive and to fuel high growth rates of greater than 10%d". Previous studies have found that during exogenous feeding and at growth rates greater than 8%d1 larvae experience what appears to be cost free growth, where mass specific metabolic rate does not decrease with increasing mass. Due to size and condition constraints …


The Role Of Larval Thermal Tolerance In The Distribution Of Blue Mussel Species Within The Gulf Of Maine, Susan J. Limbeck Dec 2003

The Role Of Larval Thermal Tolerance In The Distribution Of Blue Mussel Species Within The Gulf Of Maine, Susan J. Limbeck

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Two species of blue mussel, Myrilus edulis and Myrilus trossulus, are sympatric throughout much of the Canadian Maritime Provinces and into the Gulf of Maine. While the distribution of M edulis extends south to the Mid-Atlantic, that of M. trossulus ends abruptly in the Gulf of Maine. I have hypothesized that these differences in adult distribution are the result of species-specific variation in larval thermal tolerances. Previously, it has been shown that when reared at 20 OC, from 36 hour post-fertilization through settlement, M. trossulus had significantly higher mortality rates than M. edulis. This study examined whether species-specific differences in …


An Investigation Of The Cumulative Impacts Of Shrimp Trawling On Mud Bottom Fishing Grounds In The Gulf Of Maine: Effects On Habitat And Macrofaunal Community Structure, Anne W. Simpson Dec 2003

An Investigation Of The Cumulative Impacts Of Shrimp Trawling On Mud Bottom Fishing Grounds In The Gulf Of Maine: Effects On Habitat And Macrofaunal Community Structure, Anne W. Simpson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite the widespread occurrence of trawl fisheries on mud-bottoms, there is limited knowledge concerning the effects of trawling induced disturbance on these habitats and their resident macrofaunal communities. I investigated the cumulative impacts of seasonal commercial shrimp trawling on infaunal habitat and macrofaunal community structure on two mud-bottom fishing grounds in the Gulf of Maine from June 2000 - December 2001. One fishing ground located near the Outer Pumpkin Ledges (Pumpkin) experienced trawling activity during the 2000-2001 fishing season. In contrast, the other fishing ground near Monhegan Island was not trawled during the same period because shrimp abundances were low. …


Collaborative Research: Determinants Of Male Reproductive Success In Natural Spawns, Philip O. Yund, Paul Rawson Nov 2003

Collaborative Research: Determinants Of Male Reproductive Success In Natural Spawns, Philip O. Yund, Paul Rawson

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

This proposal is an extension of previous work aimed at understanding the effects of reproductive biology on patterns of life history evolution in a colonial marine tunicate, Botryllus schlosseri. The project will test five hypotheses about factors that may determine male reproductive success in natural spawns of this colonial invertebrate. The five hypotheses specifically aim to explore the effects of timing of sperm release, relatedness of mates, population density, and allocation to male function on fertilization success in field and experimental populations of Botryllus.

Previous work has shown that there is a narrow temporal window in which fertilization can result …


Resilience Of Green Sea Urchin (Strongylocentrotus Droebachiensis) Populations Following Fishing Mortality: Marine Protected Areas, Alternate Stable States, And Larval Ecology, John Vavrinec Iii Aug 2003

Resilience Of Green Sea Urchin (Strongylocentrotus Droebachiensis) Populations Following Fishing Mortality: Marine Protected Areas, Alternate Stable States, And Larval Ecology, John Vavrinec Iii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The green sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis has been aggressively fished in Maine since 1986 resulting in severe population declines throughout portions of the state. This research used Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to evaluate the potential for recovery in depleted sea urchin populations. It was necessary to not only look at the direct impacts of the MPAs, but also at larval transport / supply and community interactions to gain a better understanding of the system. We found that MPAs in the Gulf of ~a!ne were of varied utility to restoring depleted sea urchin populations depending on location and community structure. MPAs …


Molecular Systematics Of A Rapidly Evolving Species Flock: The Mbuna (Cichlidae) Of Lake Malawi, Irving L. Kornfield Jul 2003

Molecular Systematics Of A Rapidly Evolving Species Flock: The Mbuna (Cichlidae) Of Lake Malawi, Irving L. Kornfield

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Kornfield Irv Kornfield of the University of Maine will employ hypervariable microsatellite markers to study the systematics and phylogeny of the mbuna , a large group of cichlid fishes of Lake Malawi, East Africa, that have obligate ties to shallow, rocky habitats. Mbuna represent a highly speciose assemblage known for rapid and extensive diversification over a short periods of time. Mbuna thus represent an ideal model system in which to examine processes (e.g., habitat fragmentation, trophic and spatial niche shifts, interspecific agonistic interaction, and sexual selection) that are associated with speciation and adaptive radiation. Kornfield will use microsatellite markers to …


Tb188: Tow Tank Scale Modeling In The Design Of Tidal Upwellers, John Riley May 2003

Tb188: Tow Tank Scale Modeling In The Design Of Tidal Upwellers, John Riley

Technical Bulletins

In February 1999 an ad hoc committee of representatives of Maine’s shellfish aquaculture industry, The University of Maine, and the Maine Sea Grant College Program met to discuss priorities for research to improve the performance of tidally powered shellfish upwellers. Information from this meeting was incorporated into a proposal submitted later in the year to the Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center. The project was funded and work began in January 2000. The project involved engineering analysis, field measurements of shellfish seed properties, and scale-model testing conducted in the university wave/towing tank with the overall goal of optimizing the design of a …


The Use Of Acoustics To Resolve Nightly Excursions Of Hyperbenthos, Heather U. Abello May 2003

The Use Of Acoustics To Resolve Nightly Excursions Of Hyperbenthos, Heather U. Abello

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Acoustic analysis of die1 vertical migration in the Darnariscotta River estuary, Maine, showed a fairly regular nightly increase in biovolume (mm3 m'3) of organisms in the water column, presumed to be due to emergence, the entry of hyperbenthic organisms into the water column. Timing of these events was significantly correlated with time of sunset and time of sunrise for more than 50% of the dates where emergence and re-entry could be identified, between June and October 2002. Emergence traps indicate that the mysid shrimp, Neomysis americana, is the predominant migrator. Daily fluctuations in irradiance influence the timing of emergence fiom …


Lipid Solubilization By Marine Benthic Invertebrates, Ian M. Voparil May 2003

Lipid Solubilization By Marine Benthic Invertebrates, Ian M. Voparil

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work characterized the size of lipoidal colloids in benthic invertebrates' guts, using contact angle dilutions and imaging the fluorescence of the hydrophobic probe Nile Red. Deposit feeders and Nereis virens ingesting sediment were found to have micelles rather than emulsions in the gut. Gut fluids from Arenicola manna (a deposit-feeding polychaete) readily formed emulsions when incubated with mussel meat (Mytilus edulis; 80 g-mussel L"-gut fluid), suggesting that micelles form due to a paucity of emulsifying lipids in the gut. Lipid tracer contained in emulsion droplets was twice as likely to be captured by sediment than was tracer in micelles. …


Vaccines For Infection Salmon Anemia Virus, Nathan Edward Charles Brown May 2003

Vaccines For Infection Salmon Anemia Virus, Nathan Edward Charles Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Infectious salmon anemia (ISA) virus is an emerging pathogen of fanned Atlantic salmon. Due to the massive economic losses inflicted by the ISA virus, effective measures to control future outbreaks are necessary. An attractive method for preventing ISA virus from infecting stocks of Atlantic salmon is vaccination. DNA vaccination is a proven cheap, effective means of protecting fish from aquatic viruses. In this thesis DNA vaccination of Atlantic salmon was investigated. Three different strains of ISA virus were cultured and purified by density gradient ultracentrifugation. ISA virus RNA was isolated and used to amplify full-length cDNAs of five ISA virus …


Population Dynamics And Spatial Analysis Of The Maine Green Sea Urchin (Strongylocentrotus Droebachiensis) Fishery, Robert C. Grabowski May 2003

Population Dynamics And Spatial Analysis Of The Maine Green Sea Urchin (Strongylocentrotus Droebachiensis) Fishery, Robert C. Grabowski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fisheries research on the green sea urchin in Maine has been limited despite its importance to the state's fishing industry. The objective of this thesis was to generate critical information for the management and monitoring of the Maine green sea urchin fishery. In particular there are three main areas of interest: (1) an investigation of biological reference points; (2) spatial analysis and biomass estimation, and (3) the development of a simulation framework approach to determine an optimal sampling strategy for the fishery-independent survey program. Biological reference points are markers conlrnonly used to monitor and manage fisheries. For the Maine sea …