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Marine Biology Commons

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Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

William & Mary

Theses/Dissertations

1994

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Marine Biology

Life History And Fisheries Ecology Of Weakfish, Cynoscion Regalis, In The Chesapeake Bay Region, Susan Lowerre-Barbieri Jan 1994

Life History And Fisheries Ecology Of Weakfish, Cynoscion Regalis, In The Chesapeake Bay Region, Susan Lowerre-Barbieri

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Otoliths, scales, dorsal spines, and pectoral fin rays were compared to determine the best hardpart for ageing weakfish, Cynoscion regalis. Sectioned otoliths showed the clearest marks and were validated by the marginal increment method for ages 1-5. Traditionally-used scales were found to be less-precise and to underage older fish. Most weakfish from the Chesapeake Bay region were 200-600 mm TL and ages 1-4. Weakfish were not fully-recruited to commercial foodfish grades until age 2. Maximum observed age was 17 from a Delaware Bay fish collected in 1985. Current maximum observed ages were age 12 in Chesapeake Bay and age 11 …


Predation On Juvenile Blue Crabs, Callinectes Sapidus Rathbun, In Lower Chesapeake Bay: Patterns, Predators, And Potential Impacts, Kirt E. Moody Jan 1994

Predation On Juvenile Blue Crabs, Callinectes Sapidus Rathbun, In Lower Chesapeake Bay: Patterns, Predators, And Potential Impacts, Kirt E. Moody

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Various investigations of the population dynamics of blue crabs in Chesapeake Bay indicate that predator-induced mortality in the juvenile phase may determine year-class strength. In a tethering study, which spanned three seasons in shallow-water habitats of the lower York River, daily mortality rates of juvenile crabs were measured across three variables: crab size (30-70 mm carapace width), habitat type (seagrass, mud, and sand), and month (May-November). Vulnerability to predation was consistently lower for larger crabs, approaching a size refuge from predation at approximately 90 mm carapace width. Predation was most intense in unvegetated sand habitats, and significantly lower in seagrass …


Quantification Of Settlement And Recruitment Processes In Bivalve Mollusks, Patrick Kelly Baker Jan 1994

Quantification Of Settlement And Recruitment Processes In Bivalve Mollusks, Patrick Kelly Baker

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Studies were carried out to quantify abundance, mortality, and variability in these parameters, during settlement and recruitment of bivalve mollusks, using the oyster, Crassostrea virginica, as a primary model species. Most work was undertaken in the York River, Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, with additional work in the Indian River, Florida. The period chosen, in the bivalve early life history, was from the late planktonic larva to the early benthic juvenile. Studies were designed to specifically examine (a) abundance of late-stage larvae in the plankton, (b) the relationship between larval abundance and settlement, and (c) mortality immediately following settlement. Variability in abundance …