Digital Commons Network^™

Diel Activity Patterns, Space Utilization, Seasonal Distribution And Population Structure Of The Yellow Stingray, Urobatis Jamaicensis (Cuvier, 1817) In South Florida With Comments On Reproduction., Daniel P. Fahy

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The yellow stingray, Urobatis jamaicensis is the most common elasmobranch in the coastal waters of Southeast Florida. Despite their common occurrence the ecology of yellow stingrays remains poorly understood. In particular, yellow stingray daily movements, space utilization, seasonal distribution and population structure have not been described. This study was conducted to address the lack of knowledge of these fundamental life history parameters and to provide further information on the ecology of U. jamaicensis in coastal waters of Broward County, Florida.

The activity patterns and space utilization of U. jamaicensis were assessed by manual tracking with ultrasonic telemetry. Telemetry tracking of …

Spatial Patterns Of Estuarine Habitat Type Use And Temporal Patterns In Abundance Of Juvenile Permit, Trachinotus Falcatus, In Charlotte Harbor, Florida, Aaron J. Adams, David A. Blewett

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The life history of many marine fishes is a 2-phase cycle: juveniles and adults make up a demersal phase, whereas larvae are planktonic. Determining ontogenetic patterns of habitat type use of the demersal phase has important management and habitat conservation implications for species that use coastal habitat types as juveniles. Juvenile permit, Trachinotus falcatus, are presumed to be limited to beaches exposed to open ocean, but few studies have addressed juvenile permit use of estuarine habitat types. Ten years of fisheries-independent monitoring data from a subtropical estuary were analyzed to determine habitat type use patterns and seasonality of juvenile …

Great Bay Coast Watch: A Citizen Water Monitoring Program Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Manual, 2004, B Sharon Meeker, Ann S. Reid, Jeff Schloss, Anita Hayden, Amber Perkins, Steve Cooper

PREP Reports & Publications

The Great Bay Coast Watch is citizen volunteers, working within the UNH Cooperative Extension/NH Sea Grant Program, protecting the long-term health and natural resources of New Hampshire’s coastal waters and estuarine systems through monitoring and education projects.

The purpose of this document is to present step-by-step instructions for conducting water quality testing in support of the Great Bay Coast Watch (GBCW).

Trophic Comparison Of Two Species Of Needlefish (Belonidae) In The Alvarado Lagoonal System, Veracruz, Mexico, Daniel Arceo-Carranza, Jonathan Franco-Lopez, Gretchen L. Waggy, Rafael Chavez-Lopez

Gulf and Caribbean Research

We compared the diets of Atlantic needlefish, Strongylura marina, and redfin needlefish, Strongylura notata, in the Alvarado lagoonal system, Veracruz, Mexico, and analyzed diet breadth and trophic overlap between the species. All fishes were collected monthly from June 2000 to July 2001 at twelve sampling stations. A total of 74 intestinal tracts from S. marina were analyzed. The diet of S. marina consisted of 25 prey types with fish being the dominate prey. In eighty-nine digestive tracts examined from S. notata, the diet consisted of 29 prey types with the dominant prey including fishes, penaeid shrimp, polychaetes, …

Reproductive Structures And Early Life History Of The Gulf Toadfish, Opsanus Beta, In The Tecolutla Estuary, Veracruz, Mexico, Alfredo Gallardo-Torres, Jose Antonio Martinez-Perez, Brian J. Lezina

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Although the Gulf toadfish, Opsanus beta, is an abundant member of the nearshore Gulf of Mexico ichthyofaunal assemblage, little information exists regarding the ecology of the species, especially for southern Gulf of Mexico populations. We added to the existing knowledge of this species by describing the reproductive structures and examining the early life history of this species in the Tecolutla estuary, Mexico. Macro- and microscopic examination of 7 males showed spermatogenesis to be similar to other teleost species except for the occurrence of biflagellate spermatozoa. Histological examination of the male accessory gland showed 3 tissue layers, but their functions …

Predicting Fish Species Diversity In Lotic Freshwaters Of Greece, Eugene G. Maurakis, David V. Grimes

Virginia Journal of Science

Objectives were to test the hypothesis that stream order and stream width alone account for species diversity in drainages of Greece, and to create a mathematical model that predicts fish diversity in small and medium sized freshwater streams in the southern Balkan Peninsula in accord with the stream classification system proposed by the European Environmental Agency (EEA). Thirty-seven species of fishes in 12 families (Petromyzontidae, Anguillidae, Cyprinidae, Moronidae, Centrarchidae, and Blenniidae) were collected in five stream orders (1-5) from 19 river drainages in Greece in 1993 and from 2000-2002. Numbers of species were significantly correlated with stream order (+), width …

Identification Key To Fishes In Fresh Waters Of Greece, Eugene G. Maurakis, Panos S. Economidis

Virginia Journal of Science

The European Environmental Agency formulated a biodiversity initiative in 1996 specifying a freshwater stream-monitoring program to inventory, identify and describe aquatic and terrestrial species in European Union countries. With one of the richest freshwater ichthyofaunas in Europe (126 fish taxa: 97 species and 29 subspecies of primary or secondary freshwater fishes), Greece has two extinct fish species, five listed as critically endangered, and 29 considered endangered and/or vulnerable. There are, however, no published identification guides that are available for identifying fish specimens from fresh waters in Greece. We present an English translation of the only available identification key (in Greek) …

Fisheries Research Contract Report No. 2 - Towards An Assessment Of Natural And Human Use Impacts On The Marine Environment Of The Abrolhos Islands (Phase 1 : Data Consolidation And Scoping - Final Report For Frdc Project 2000/1 66), C. F. Chubb, K. Nardi

Fisheries Research Contract Reports

This project has drawn together existing research data relating to natural and human impacts on the Abrolhos Islands marine habitats. It has surveyed current uses of these habitats and placed anthropogenic impacts within the context of natural perturbations. Through public forum presentation and debate, this work has allowed real issues, not perceptions, to surface and be addressed properly. This was achieved by defining a strategic programme of research through a scientific workshop process involving all community stakeholders. A two volume Fisheries Research Report (WA) summarizes current knowledge and details the workshop proceedings and strategic research plan.

Biology And Ecologyof Epigean Crayfish That Inhabit Everglades Environments Procambarus Alleni (Faxon) And Procambarus Fallax (Hagen), Peggy G. Vanarman

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Two species of epigean crayfish, Procambarus alleni (the Everglades crayfish) and Procambarus fallax (slough crayfish), may be keystone species that inhabit wetlands in south Florida and the Everglades. Recent field studies showed that although these two species occur in sympatric and syntopic distribution, Everglades crayfish prefer shallow water and short hydroperiod conditions, whereas slough crayfish prefer areas that are more permanently flooded (Hendrix 2000). Slough crayfish have invaded some areas within the range occupied by Everglades crayfish, and may be the more successful competitor. Because of their critical role throughout the trophic structure of Everglades wetlands, shifts in relative abundance …

Habitat Utilization By Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) In Biscayne Bay, Florida, Christine A. Hudak

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) exhibit variable distribution patterns, depending upon their geographic location. Habitat utilization patterns in Biscayne Bay, Florida, were examined using the Biscayne Bay Bottlenose Dolphin Photo-ID database obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) Miami Laboratory. Habitat coverages in Biscayne Bay were obtained from the Atlas of Marine Resources Version 1.3B CD and the Biscayne Bay National Park CD. Dolphin sightings were overlaid on the habitat coverages using GIS Arcview software.

The effects of habitat, season, behavior, zone (sectioned area of Biscayne Bay), and depth on patterns …

Connectivity Between Coastal Habitats Of Two Oceanic Caribbean Islands As Inferred From Ontogenetic Shifts By Coral Reef Fishes, I. Nagelkerken, G. Van Der Velde

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Mangroves and seagrass beds are considered important nursery habitats for juveniles of coral reef fishes. Studies have mostly focused on the fish community of just one habitat, so the connectivity between different coastal habitats is often unclear. In this study, density and size of reef fish were determined using a single sampling technique in four non-estuarine bay habitats and four reef zones in Curaçao and Bonaire (Netherlands Antilles). The data indicate that of the complete reef fish community at least 21 species show ontogenetic crossshelf shifts in habitat utilization. The 21 species mainly utilized shallow-water habitats (mangroves, seagrass beds, channel …

Reseeding Of Grazing Gastropods And Bivalves Into The Marine Environment In Western Australia, Jane Borg

Fisheries Management Papers

The Department of Fisheries does not want to embark on what is ‘new territory’ in Western Australia without a policy framework to define what is to happen, why it is to happen, and what will happen if the project does or does not succeed. This paper therefore attempts to do three things. 1. It sets in place accepted definitions of reseeding and stock enhancement within the general context of fisheries management in Western Australia. 2. It discusses the policy issues associated with reseeding grazing gastropods and bivalves into the natural environment. 3. It proposes a framework or process to be …

Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 2 - Scientific Workshop On The Margaret River Marron, Brett Molony

Fisheries Occasional Publications

Purpose of the Workshop

To gather together and review the scientific evidence around genetic and sustainability issues necessary for the management of Margaret River Marron (MRM)

The outcomes of the day will be to provide scientific advice, options and priorities to the relevant Programs within the Department of Fisheries to promote the sustainability of marron within MR.

* Introduction to, and comparison of, genetic techniques available to researchers. Presenter - Phil Vercoe

* What do we know about the genetic diversity of marron and other Cherax? Presenter - Chris Austin

* Morphology and Hybrids Presenter - Craig Lawrence

* The …

Summer Vertical Phytoplankton Distribution In The Lower Chesapeake Bay, Mollie Jill Weinstein

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Autotrophic picoplankton and phytoplankton composite samples were collected from the surface, pycnocline, and bottom water layers at three stations in the lower Chesapeake Bay between June and September 1993. Using light microscopy a total of 170 phytoplankton taxa were identified. Utilizing epifluorescent microscopy, the picoplankton taxa were distinguished by size, representing species with cells less than 2 microns. Diatoms were the dominant taxa during this period, with lesser representation by the other phytoplankton components. Within the picoplankton category, cyanobacteria were dominant. Statistical analyses of the data indicated the vertical composition and abundance of the phytoplankton was not significantly different over …

Mapping And Monitoring Of Coral Communities And Their Spatial Patterns Using A Surface-Based Video Method From A Vessel, Bernhard Riegl, Jan L. Korrubel, Charles Martin

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

No Abstract Provided.

Degradation Of Reef Structure, Coral And Fish Communities In The Red Sea By Ship Groundings And Dynamite Fisheries, Bernhard Riegl

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Reef degradation was investigated on 66 Egyptian Red Sea reefs—60 reefs for dynamite damage (using line transects) and six ship grounding sites (using 1 m sample squares). Ship groundings and dynamite fishing caused similar damage, reduction of the reef to rubble (65% of reefs were dynamited, mostly leeward, 58%). Changes in coral (line transect study) and fish communities (point count study) in impacted sites were documented. On impacted reefs, coral cover decreased, bare substratum and rubble increased, and fish dominance shifted away from Pomacentridae. Oceanographic conditions result in a stable pattern of coral communities (windward Acropora, leeward Porites). …

Fall 2000, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Feeding Habits Of Young-Of-Year Striped Bass, Morone Saxatilis, And White Perch, Morone Americana, In Lower James River, Va, Paul J. Rudershausen, Joseph G. Loesch

Virginia Journal of Science

A total of 188 young-of-year (YOY) striped bass, Morone saxatilis, and 199 YOY white perch, Morone americana, were collected by pushnet, seine and trawl during 24-hour periods from June through August, 1992 in lower James River, Virginia. The purpose was to identify prey and temporal and spatial feeding habits. Copepods were the most numerous prey of both species. Fishes and mysids comprised the largest volumetric percentage of diets of striped bass and white perch, respectively. Using an index of relative importance, leptodorids and copepods were the most important prey of striped bass and white perch, respectively. Both species …

Feeding Habits Of Juvenile Lane Snapper Lutjanus Synagris From Mississippi Coastal Waters, With Comments On The Diet Of Gray Snapper Lutjanus Griseus, James S. Franks, Katherine E. Vanderkooy

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Stomach contents analysis was used to quantitatively describe the diets of juvenile lane snapper, Lutjanus synagris, and juvenile gray snapper, Lutjanus griseus, from the northern Gulf of Mexico. Juvenile snapper were collected by trawling at two estuarine, deep channel sites in Mississippi coastal waters from September 1996 to January 1997. Lane snapper (n = 53) and gray snapper (n = 12) both consumed a variety of prey organisms, but primary prey were amphipods, decapods (shrimp and crabs), and fishes. The most important prey items for lane snapper based on percent Index of Relative Importance (%IRI) were shrimp remains …

Spatio-Temporal Distribution Of Larval Gobiosoma Bosc In Waters Adjacent To Natural And Altered Marsh-Edge Habitats Of Mississippi Coastal Waters, J. Read Hendon, Mark S. Peterson, Bruce H. Comyns

Faculty Publications

Larval naked gobies, Gobiosoma bose, were collected monthly from October 1995 to September 1997 by beam plankton trawl from waters adjacent to natural Juncus/Spartina marsh-edge, natural sandy beach and altered Juncus/Spartina marsh-edge habitats in Mississippi coastal waters. Altered marsh habitats consisted of two bulkheaded stations and one stretch of riprap. Abundances were significantly higher in waters adjacent to natural marsh-edge habitats than in those adjacent to altered habitats in year one (P = 0.011), suggesting that the physical nature of alteration may have caused reduced habitat suitability. Abundances also varied seasonally, with summer conditions of high water temperature, increasing tide …

Epi-And Mesopelagic Fishes, Acoustic Data, And Sst Images Collected Off Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, And Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, During Cruise "La Bocaina 04-97", F. Bordes, F. Uiblein, R. Castillo, A. Barrera, J. J. Castro, J. Coca, J. Gomez, K. Hansen, V. Hernandez, N. Merrett, M. Miya, T. Moreno, F. Perez, A. Ramos, Tracey Sutton, M. Yamaguchi

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

During cruise "La Bocaina 0497" a series of 14 tows with a commercial pelagic trawl at depths between 20 and 700 m and an acoustic survey with a SIMRAD EK-500 echosounder were carried out in neritic and adjacent oceanic waters off Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, and Gran Canaria, Canary islands. In addition, SST images were obtained to get some informations on the prevailing hydrological conditions in the study area.

Of the 14 trawl tows ten were successful and resulted in capture of a total of 2166 fishes belonging to 81 species, 53 genera and 28 families. Ten species proved to be new …

Trophic Diversity Of A Mesopelagic Fish Community., Tracey Sutton, Thomas L. Hopkins, Thomas M. Lancraft

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

To understand the character of prey partitioning in a low latitude oligotrophic region, a composite picture of the trophic structure of a mesopelagic fish community was made from the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Two hundred and twenty three species were collected in the area of which I61 species were abundant enough for analyses. Fifteen major categories of prey biomass are identified for diet analyses: viz. copepods, ostracods, amphipods, euphausiids, decapods, larvaceans, salps, coelenterates (primarily siphonophores), unidentified gelatinous prey, polychaetes, gastropods, cephalopods, chaetognaths, fish, other food. Prey partitioning is minimal across major prey categories as the vast majority of mesopelagic fishes …

Management Of The Houtman Abrolhos System, Abrolhos Islands Management Advisory Council, Fisheries Department Of Western Australia

Fisheries Management Papers

In November 1995 Cabinet resolved that the Minister for Fisheries would establish the Abrolhos Islands Management Advisory Committee (AIMAC) pursuant to Section 42 of the Fish Resources Management Act 1994. The role of AIMAC is to advise the Minister for Fisheries about the management of the Abrolhos Islands and the adjoining State Territorial Waters, as detailed in Section 2.2.3.1 of this report. The AIMAC has overseen the preparation of this report on behalf of the Minister for Fisheries. This draft report contains a brief description of the Abrolhos System and its special values. It also states goals and objectives for …

Isotope Ratio Studies Of Marine Mammals In Prince William Sound, Donald M. Schell, Amy Hirons

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

This project consists of two components: (1) provision of analytical services for the stable isotope ratio investigations associated with Exxon Valdez oil spill projects, and (2) an investigation of food web relationships and trophic interactions of harbor seals and other top consumers of Prince William Sound (PWS). Through the use of harbor seal tissues collected from native harvested animals and tagging programs, seasonal and migrational information has been obtained with regard to prey utilization and trophic status at differing locations within the sound and the adjacent Gulf of Alaska. Preliminary results indicate that within PWS, harbor seals fall at the …

Observations On Mass Mortalities Of The Sooty Eel, Bascanichthys Bascanium, And The Speckled Worm Eel, Myrophis Punctatus, Associated With A Fish Kill In The Mississippi Sound, James S. Franks, Ross P. Dodds

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Mass mortalities of the sooty eel, Bascanichthys bascanium, and the speckled worm eel, Myrophis punctatus, were observed in association with a fish kill which occurred the morning of 18 June 1994 on the south shore of Deer Island, a nearshore barrier island located off Biloxi, Mississippi. B. bascanium and M. punctatus, as well as other fishes, were found dead and dying near the shore in reddish-brown water and along a lengthy stretch of fringing sandy beach. Both species of eels are infrequently reported from Mississippi waters but were the most abundant fishes recorded from the kill. A …

Food Of Cobia, Rachycentron Canadum, From The Northcentral Gulf Of Mexico, Gabriele H. Meyer, James S. Franks

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The stomach contents of 403 cobia, Rachycentron canadum, caught in the northcentral Gulf of Mexico recreational fishery from April through October of 1987-1990 were examined. Cobia ranged from 373-1,530 mm in fork length. Of the 403 stomachs, 287 (71.2%) contained at least one identifiable prey taxon. Crustaceans, consisting primarily of portunid crabs, were the predominant food. Crustaceans occurred in 79.1% of the stomachs and comprised 77.6% of the total number of identifiable prey. The second most important prey category was fish which was dominated by hardhead catfish, Arius felis, and eels. Fish occurred in 58.5% of the stomachs …

Reproductive Strategies In A Population Of Gobiosoma Bosci (Osteichthyes: Gobiidae) With Slow And Fast Maturing Individuals, Candace H. Conn, David L. Bechler

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The reproductive biology of Gobiosoma bosci collected from November 1986 to October 1987 in the McFaddin Wildlife Refuge in southeast Texas was studied by using morphometric data. Males achieved greater weights per unit length than females, and longevity was about 12 to 13 months. GSI values and mean monthly ovum diameters indicated that the breeding season ran from April to September, with a major activity peak in May and a minor peak in September. Significant differences in male and female standard lengths (SL), ovum diameter, and egg number existed for sexually mature specimens between the first and second peaks of …

Diet And Seasonal Feeding Habits Of The Yellow Stingray, Urolophus Jamaicensis, T. Patrick Quinn

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Urolophus jamaicensis, the yellow stingray, is a common elasmobranch found on and around the coral reefs off Florida's southeastern coast. Its diet consists of polychaetes, crustaceans, nemerteans, sipunculids, nematodes, and chaetognaths with polychaetes and crustaceans comprising almost 67% of the stomach contents by volume. There does not appear to be any diet preference between the male and females stingrays. The seasonal changes in diet preference are limited to an increase in the proportion of polychaetes found in the stomach during spring when compared to fall.

Observations On Extant Populations Of The Softshell Clam, Mya Arenaria Linné, 1758 (Bivalvia: Myidae), From Georgia (Usa) Estuarine Habitats, Erik Rasmussen, Richard W. Heard

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The softshell clam, Mya arenaria Linné, 1758, is reported from Georgia (USA) estuarine habitats based on studies conducted between 1969 and 1972. Observations on Georgia estuarine habitats where extant populations of softshell clams occurred are described. On several occasions, fresh shells with periostracum and tissue remnants were found in a brackish drainage system on Sapelo Island. These shells represent the first southern records of extant populations of softshell clams from such a specialized habitat type. Living specimens of M. arenaria from the benthos and specimens in the stomach contents of stingrays (Dasyatis sabina) were collected at four stations …

The Palmer Lter: A Long-Term Ecological Research Program At Palmer Station, Antarctica, Raymond C. Smith, Karen S. Baker, William R. Fraser, Eileen E. Hofmann, David M. Karl, John M. Klinck, Langdon B. Quetin, Barbara B. Prezelin, Robin M. Ross, Wayne Z. Trivelpiece, Maria Vernet

CCPO Publications

THE ANTARCTIC marine ecosystem-the assemblage of plants, animals, ocean, sea ice, and island components south of the Antarctic Convergence is among the largest readily defined ecosystems on Earth (36 X 106 km2 ) (Hedgpeth, 1977; Petit et al., 1991). This ecosystem is composed of an interconnected system of functionally distinct hydrographic and biogeochemical subdivisions (Treguer and Jacques, 1992) and includes open ocean, frontal regions, shelf-slope waters, sea ice, and marginal ice zones. Oceanic, atmospheric, and biogeochemical processes within this system are thought to be globally significant, have been infrequently studied, and are poorly understood relative to more accessible marine ecosystems …