Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Evaluation Of Striped Bass Stocks In Virginia, Monitoring And Tagging Studies, 1999-2003 Annual Report, 1 September 2000 - 31 October 2001, Philip W. Sadler, Robert J. Latour, Robert E. Harris, John E. Olney

Reports

This report presents the results of striped bass (Marone saxatilis) tagging and monitoring activities in Virginia during the penod 1 September 2000 through 31 October 2001. It includes an assessment of the biological characteristics of striped bass taken from the 2001 spring spawning run, estimates of annual survtval based on annual spring tagging, and the results of the fall 2000 directed mortality study that is cooperative with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The information contained in this report is required by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and is used to implement a coordinated management plan for striped bass …

The Crest, Fall 2001, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Table of Contents:

• VIMS Named World Reference Laboratory for Shellfish Diseases
• VIMS Scientists Receive 2001 Best Paper Award
• Domestic Interest Grows in Cobia Culture VIMS Foundation Established
• VIMS Environmental Scientists Spearheading BDE Research in USA
• VIMS Capital Campaign for Kauffman Aquaculture Center Meets its Goal
• Dr. William Reay Named New Manager of Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
• Summer Course Connects Scientists with Science Teachers
• Beset near 68 degrees south, 69 degrees west
• New researcher studies tiny organisms that play a big role
• VIMS Welcomes New Students
• VIMS to initiate coastal observing program
• VIMS student Receives Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship …

Estimating Relative Abundance Of Young Of The Year American Eel, Anguilla Rostrata, In The Virginia Tributaries Of Chesapeake Bay, Patrick J. Greer

Reports

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) adopted the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Eel (FMP) in November 1999. The Plan focuses on increasing the states’ efforts to collect data on the resource and the fishery it supports through fishery dependent and independent studies. To this end, member jurisdictions (including Virginia) agreed to implement an annual abundance survey of young-of-year American eel (YOY). The survey is intended to “...characterize trends in annual recruitment of the young of the year eel over time [to produce a] qualitative appraisal of the annual recruitment of American eel to the U.S. Atlantic coast …

The Crest, Summer 2001, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Table of Contents:

• VIMS to Begin New Ecosystem Management Study
• CBNERRVA Receives Coastal America Partnership Award
• VIMS Shoreline Permit Application Reports Now Available Online
• Marina Program Launched
• Web Based Education Hub Developed by VIMS/Sea Grant Educators
• In the middle of the storm... where VIMS scientists plan to be
• Continental margins--where the action is
• Aquaculture and agriculture--working together for solutions
• Marine Finfish Culture Activities
• Kauffman Aquaculture Center Campaign
• New Graduate Courses for Science Teachers
• VIMS scientists explore pollution of Antarctic sea ice
• Mid-Atlantic Scallop Closed Areas Set to Reopen
• VIMS study poses new questions on river carbon
• Marine Industry Trends
• Stranded …

Status Of The Major Oyster Diseases In Virginia 2000 A Summary Of The Annual Monitoring Program, Lisa M. Ragone Calvo, Eugene M. Burreson

Reports

As a consequence of the relatively warm temperatures, high salinities, and high oyster parasite abundances in the fall of 1999, both P. marinus and H. nelsoni were widely distributed throughout oyster populations in Virginia in 2000. Fortunately, however, we did not see severe epizootics of the diseases as observed in some areas in 1999.

Monitoring Relative Abundance Of American Shad In Virginia’S Rivers 2000 Annual Report, John E. Olney, John M. Hoenig

Reports

Since the moratorium, there have been no monitoring programs that provided direct assessment of stock recovery until this project began in 1998. The ban on in-river fishing in Virginia remained in effect, creating a dilemma for managers who needed reliable information in order to make a rational decision on when the in-river ban could safely be lifted. To address this deficiency, we proposed a method of scientific monitoring to estimate catch rates relative to those recorded before the prohibition of in-river fishing in 1994. This monitoring program began in 1998 and consisted of sampling techniques and locations that were consistent …

Assessment Of Development Impacts On Coastal Zone: Integrated Approach, Northampton County, Eastern Shore, Virginia, Sarunas Zableckis

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Use Of Pop-Up Satellite Tag Technology To Estimate Survival Of Blue Marlin (Makaira Nigricans) Released From Pelagic Longline Gear, David Kerstetter

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Opercular Bones For Aging Eight Species Of Chesapeake Bay Fishes, Ann M. Sipe

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Growth Patterns Of Three Species Of Catfish (Ictaluridae) From Three Virginia Tributaries Of The Chesapeake Bay, William J. Connelly

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Marine Reserves On Exploited Species With Complex Life Histories: A Modeling Study Using The Caribbean Spiny Lobster In Exuma Sound, Bahamas, William T. Stockhausen

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Most benthic invertebrates and reef-associated fish undergo a dispersive, planktonic larval stage prior to settlement and metamorphosis into the juvenile and adult stages. In some species, settlement may be decoupled from adult abundance at local spatial scales if hydrodynamic conditions or larval behavior do not promote local retention. Similarly, spatial variability in postsettlement mortality or secondary dispersal by juveniles and adults may decouple spatial patterns of adult abundance from those of settlement. as a consequence, spatial patterns of settlement and adult abundance may be functionally related in a complex fashion. Whether biotic/environmental factors control spatial patterns of abundance may have …

Heat Shock Protein (Hsp70) Response In The Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea Virginica, Exposed To Various Contaminants (Pahs, Pcbs And Cadmium), Luis A. Cruz Rodriguez

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The stress protein response has been proposed as a general indicator of exposure to stress as their expression might integrate overall biological impact and interactions among multiple stressors. as a marker of contaminant effects, a major advantage is the premise of higher sensitivity over other indices such as condition index, scope for growth and survival. Laboratory exposure to suspended field contaminated sediments (SFCS) elicited a stress protein response (HSP70) in the eastern oyster, ( Crassostrea virginica). The stress response probably resulted from the combined effect of various contaminants including PAHs, metals and PCBs. Exposure to 1--2g suspended clay particles spiked …

Application Of The Genetic Algorithm To An Ecological Simulation, William J. Seufzer

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

A computational framework is built and demonstrated which is capable of testing plant growth strategies. The framework consists of Vgrass, a carbon based simulation model of a single Zostera marina plant, and the genetic algorithm (GA). Vgrass is based on published seagrass models, published photosynthetic data, and general plant physiology information. The model grows individual leaves whose initiation times are based on degree-day intervals. Leaf size is computed and combined with shoot density to compute population self shading. Leaf length is an emergent property since leaf growth is limited by light attenuation caused by self shading. The model is able …

Spatial And Temporal Variability Of Physical And Biological Mixing In The York River Subestuary, Tara A. Kniskern

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Persistent Organic Pollutant Transport And Fate: Assessment By Molecular Tracers, Padma T. Venkatraman

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as the organochlorine pesticide hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) may undergo atmospheric transport and accumulate in regions remote from the source. It is important to develop techniques to help apportion source and identify transport or transformation processes to which HCHs and other mobile POPs may be subjected. Molecular tracers such as compound specific stable isotope and enantiomer ratios (ERs) may prove valuable in studying POP fate and transport. The objective of this study was to further develop the use of these two novel geochemical tools to evaluate the sources, transport and environmental fate of POPs, in the context …

Effects Of Humic Acids And Salinity On Pesticide Bioavailability And Toxicity As Estimated By Spme And Toxicity Tests, Laurent C. Mézin

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The interactive effects of humic acids (HAs) and salinity on the bioavailability and toxicity of the pesticides chlorpyrifos and 4,4'-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) were investigated. The effects of various HAs on the toxicity of chlorpyrifos were initially assessed with the chronic MicrotoxRTM test. Environmentally relevant concentrations of Aldrich, Peat, Leonardite and Suwannee River HAs had no significant effect on the toxicity of either chlorpyrifos or copper (Cu), the test's positive control. as reductions in contaminant toxicity had previously been reported for some contaminants by HAs, it appeared that salinity might be a mitigating factor. Thus salinity effects were further investigated with Aldrich …

Vitellogenin -- A Biomarker Of Exposure To Environmental Estrogens For Mummichog (Fundulus Heteroclitus) From A Creosote-Contaminated Site?, Sara Mirabilio

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Vitellogenin (VTG) is widely used as a biomarker for environmental estrogens and reproductive disruption in fish. Vitellogenesis is the process by which yolk is formed. The endpoint is most sensitive in male fish where vitellogenesis is an abnormal process. Research examining effects of environmental mixtures of chemicals (e.g. creosote) on vitellogenesis is limited. This study examines plasma VTG expression in both male and female mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus, collected from a creosote-contaminated site and two reference sites in lower Chesapeake Bay, USA, and in wild-caught male reference fish exposed in the laboratory to creosote-contaminated sediment. Further, this study uses tissue somatic …

Morphological Variation Of Three Populations Of The Veined Rapa Whelk, Rapana Venosa, An Invasive Predatory Gastropod Species, Rebecca A. Green

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program Annual Report 2000, John A. Lucy, C.M. Bain Iii

Reports

The Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program (VGFTP), in its sixth year during 2000, systematically trains and assists anglers in tagging a select number of species important to Virginia's marine recreational fishery and maintains the resulting tagging database. A cooperative project of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), the program is primarily funded with revenues from Virginia's saltwater recreational fishing license funds (Recreational Fishing Development Fund). In addition, support for the program is provided by Virginia's Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program at VIMS.

A Descriptive Study Of The Reproductive Biology Of The Veined Rapa Whelk (Rapana Venosa) In The Chesapeake Bay, Erica S. Westcott

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Reproductive Biology Of Atlantic Croaker, Micropogonias Undulatus, In The Chesapeake Bay, Elizabeth Shaw Watkins

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Age, Growth, And Mortality Of Atlantic Croaker, Micropogonias Undulatus, In The Chesapeake Bay Region, John R. Foster

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Life History Attributes Of Mid-Atlantic Menidia Menidia (Pisces: Atherinidae) And A Comparison With Northern (Massachusetts) And Southern (South Carolina) Populations, Richard K. Holmquist

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Nursery Delineation, Habitat Utilization, Movements, And Migration Of Juvenile Carcharhinus Plumbeus In Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, United States Of America, R. Dean. Grubbs

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Chesapeake Bay is possibly the largest summer nursery for Carcharhinus plumbeus in the western Atlantic. Longline sampling conducted from 1990--1999 was used to delineate this nursery spatially and temporally. Catch data from 83 longline stations sampled throughout the Virginia Chesapeake Bay were analyzed as a function of nine physical and environmental variables to delineate this nursery spatially. Tree-based models determined which variables best discriminated between stations with high and low catches and indicated that complex distribution patterns could be adequately modeled with few variables. The highest abundance of juvenile sharks was predicted where salinity was greater than 20.5 and depth …

Molecular Characterization Of Cultured Perkinsus Marinus Isolates, Gwynne D. Brown

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Perkinsus marinus is the causative agent of the oyster disease Dermo in the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica. In vitro propagation of the parasite has led to the establishment of multiple isolates by several investigators. Little work, however, has been done to characterize different isolates. In this study multiple isolates were examined for genetic and biochemical diversity. at two loci, the ITS region and the ATAN region, there was as much intra-isolate genetic variation among DNA sequences of some isolates as there was inter-isolate variation. Variation was also observed at a third loci, a subtilisin-like serine protease gene. This is the …