Life Sciences Commons^™

Evaluation Of Striped Bass Stocks In Virginia, Monitoring And Tagging Studies, 1999-2003 Annual Report, 1 August 2002 - 31 August 2003, Philip W. Sadler, Robert J. Latour, Robert E. Harris, Julia Ellis, John E. Olney

Reports

This report presents the results of striped bass (Marone saxatilis) tagging and monitoring activities in Virginia during the period 1 August 2002 through 31 August 2003. It includes an assessment ofthe biological characteristics of striped bass taken from the 2003 spring spawning run, estimates of annual survival based on annual spring tagging, and the results ofthe fall2002 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 in Virginia, and …

An Experimental Evaluation Of The Effects Of Scale On Oyster Reef Restoration, Mark W. Luckenbach, Paige G. Ross

Reports

We investigated the effects of spatial scale, ranging from 10’s of meters to several km’s, on the development of oyster populations and other reef-associated organisms during the early stage of reef restoration. Employing a block design, experimental reefs were constructed at four sites in the lower Rappahannock River, VA. We tested the effects of sites (scale ≈ 1 – 10 km), reef sizes (scale ≈ 100 m) and locations within reef (scale ≈ 10 m) on the settlement, survival and growth of oysters and on the abundance, biomass, species richness and diversity of developing communities utilizing the reefs.

The project …

Intensive Water Quality Mapping Of Nearshore And Mid-Channel Regions Of The James River Relative To Sav Growth And Survival Using The Dataflow Surface Water Quality Mapping System, Ken Moore, Britt Anderson, David J. Wilcox

Reports

No abstract provided.

The Crest, Fall 2003, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Table of Contents:

• VIMS hires new Dean and Director
• Hurricane Isabel hinders research
• VIMS acquires unique new vessel
• Pair pursue promise of proteomics
• Research questions environmental safety of flame retardant
• VIMS scientists quantify Isabel's impact on Bay
• Schaffner Elected ERF President
• ABC continues oyster work with Academy validation
• Newman wins SETAC Founders Award
• Faculty help bring minorities to marine science
• Sea Grant sponsors seafood education programs
• VIMS hosts international sediment conference
• Students chosen as Knauss Fellows
• Aquanauts visit inner space
• Study highlights link between biodiversity and ecosystem function
• CCRM kicks off trans-Atlantic collaboration

Biodiversity Of Bear Seamount, New England Seamount Chain: Results Of Exploratory Trawling, Ja Moore, M Vecchione, R Gibbons, Jk Galbraith, M Turnipseed, M Southworth, E Watkins

VIMS Articles

Bear Seamount (39°55′N 67°30′W) is an extinct undersea volcano located inside the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone south of Georges Bank. The fauna associated with the seamount was little known until twenty trawl stations were made 2-7 December 2000, by the NOAA ship R/V Delaware II. The objective of the survey was to begin to document the biodiversity on and over the seamount, particularly of fishes, cephalopods, and crustaceans. Representatives of most species were preserved as vouchers and for subsequent definitive identification. This report presents a description of the biodiversity. A total of at least 274 species were collected. Preliminary identifications …

Grazing And Colony Size Development In Phaeocystis Globosa (Prymnesiophyceae): The Role Of A Chemical Signal, K Tang

VIMS Articles

The bloom-forming prymnesiophyte Phaeocystis globosa forms hollow, spherical, mucilaginous colonies that vary from micrometres to millimetres in size. A recent paper gave the first empirical evidence that colony size increase in P. globosa is a defensive response against grazers, and knowing the signalling mechanism(s) behind this response will thus be a key to understanding the trophodynamics in systems dominated by this species. I conducted experiments with specially designed diffusion incubators, each of which consists of a non-grazing chamber (with P. globosa only) and a grazing chamber (grazers + phytoplankton) connected by 2 mum polycarbonate membrane filters. The results showed that …

The Crest, Summer 2003, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Table of Contents:

• TBT or not TBT: Collaborators Search for a Solution to Pollution
• VIMS research helps protect Navy ships from mines
• Switch to Circle Hooks Would Benefit White Marlin
• Do Tags Put a Drag on Marine Organisms?
• Video Technology Links VIMS to the World
• For-hire Fishing Captains Drawn to Regional Workshops
• Teachers Gain Hands-On Research Experience
• Pair Use Neural Network to Predict Hurricane Waves
• Seamount Census Reveals New and Poorly Known Marine Life
• VIMS Helps Local Students Aid Oyster Restoration Effort
• From Counting Fish to Implementing Energy Policy

Restoration Of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (Sav) In The Tidal Freshwater James River: 2002-2003, Ken Moore, Britt Anderson, Betty Neikirk

Reports

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Habitat On Diet And Distribution Of Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis) In A Temperate Estuary, Jm Harding, Roger L. Mann

VIMS Articles

Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) are recreationally and commercially valuable finfish along the Atlantic seaboard of North America including the Chesapeake Bay estuary. Habitat use patterns for striped bass in relation to biogenic habitat types in Chesapeake Bay tributaries are poorly described although it is widely acknowledged that these piscivorous fishes use estuarine habitat for nursery and feeding grounds during development. Striped bass diet and distribution patterns were examined in relation to a gradient of biogenic habitats ranging from complex three-dimensional oyster reef through flat oyster bar to sand bottom habitat in the Piankatank River, Virginia. Striped bass were more abundant …

Observations On The Distribution Of Meroplankton During An Upwelling Event, Al Shanks, J Largier, J Brubaker

VIMS Articles

The distribution of the larvae of benthic invertebrates was investigated relative to hydrographic structures as a test of the hypothesi's that larvae behave as if they are passive particles. Observations of larval and oceanographic distributions were made off Duck, North Carolina, USA in August 1994. Conditions were characterized by wind-driven coastal upwelling;flow was generally offshore near the surface and onshore below the pycnocline. Within 5 km of the shore the pycnocline was bent upward by the upwelling and it intersected the surface along most of the transects. In zooplankton samples, 20 taxa of larvae were counted (10 bivalve veligers, nine …

Dissolved Organic Nitrogen: A Dynamic Participant In Aquatic Ecosystems, T Berman, Da Bronk

VIMS Articles

In both marine and freshwaters, the concentration of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) frequently exceeds that of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), including ammonium, nitrate, and nitrite. Recent evidence indicates that many organic N compounds are released into the DON pool and taken up from this pool by planktonic microbiota on timescales of hours to days. This observation suggests that many components of the DON pool can play an active role in supplying N nutrition directly or indirectly to phytoplankton and bacteria and, in so doing, may affect the species composition of the ambient microbial assemblage. Here we present an overview of …

Analysis Of Histocial Distribution Of Sav In The Eastern Shore Coastal Basins And Mid-Bay Island Complexes As Evidence Of Historical Water Quality Conditions And A Restored Bay Ecosystem, Kenneth A. Moore, David J. Wilcox, Britt Anderson, R J. Orth

Reports

Historical black and white format photographs at scales of approximately 1:20,000, dating from 1952 to 1956 were used to delineate the maximum coverage of SAV in the study region. Coverage of photography from decades before and after this period were found to generally to be of poorer quality and show less SAV presence. Photo-interpretation of the aerial photographs was accomplished using a head-up, on-screen digitizing system at fixed image scale of 1:12,000 and followed as closely as possible the methods currently used to delineate SAV beds throughout the Chesapeake Bay as well as the delineation of historical SAV coverage for …

Abundance And Exploitation Rate Of The Blue Crab (Callinectes Sapidus) In Chesapeake Bay, Af Sharov, Jh Volstad, Gr Davis, Bk Davis, Rom Lipcius, Mm Montane

VIMS Articles

We estimated absolute abundance of the blue crab stock in Chesapeake Bay during winter from stratified random surveys conducted baywide from 1990 to 1999, using the swept-area method. We estimated catching efficiency of the survey gear from multiple depletion experiments to correct for temporal and vessel/area differences in catchability. The survey was conducted during the winter, when crabs are dormant and "buried" in the bottom. Analysis of crab carapace width (CW) frequency distributions revealed two size modes: CW less or equal 60 mm and CW greater than 60 mm, corresponding to age-0 (recruits) and age-1+ (one year and older), respectively. …

Aspects Of The Pathophysiology Of Blue Crabs, Callinectes Sapidus, Infected With The Parasitic Dinoflagellate Hematodinium Perezi, Jeffrey D. Shields, C Scanlon, A Volety

VIMS Articles

Blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, infected with Hematodinium perezi frequently show signs of weakness and lethargy and die when stressed by handling or capture. Radical changes to the hemolymph of heavily infected crabs are obvious by reduced clotting ability, discoloration. and a 50% to 70% decline in total hemocyte density. Few other signs of infection are associated with infections and the resulting mortalities of blue crabs. To assay physiological changes in infected crabs, we measured serum proteins, hemocyanin, serum acid phosphatase, various hemolymph enzymes, hernagglutination activity, and tissue glycogen levels in relation to intensity of infection with H. perezi. Serum proteins …

Bioenergetic Modeling Of The Blue Crab (Callinectes Sapidus) Using The Fish Bioenergetics (3.0) Computer Program, Bj Brylawski, Tj Miller

VIMS Articles

To understand better the ecology and growth dynamics of the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus). we developed a bioenergetic model based upon the Fish Bioenergetics 3.0 computer program. We summarized and analyzed existing data from published studies on the ecology and physiology of both blue crab and closely related species to parameterize the model. The respiration and excretion components were estimated directly from published studies. Parts of the consumption component were estimated indirectly. The resulting model was evaluated for applicability against known growth trajectories from field and laboratory studies. The model predicted observed growth and consumption to a first approximation. Inspection …

Mycobacterium Shottsii Sp Nov., A Slowly Growing Species Isolated From Chesapeake Bay Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis), Mw Rhodes, H Kator, S Kotob, P Van Berkum, I Kaattari, Wolfgang K. Vogelbein, Et Al

VIMS Articles

Slowly growing, non-pigmented mycobacteria were isolated from striped bass (Morone saxatilis) during an epizootic of mycobacteriosis in the Chesapeake Bay. Growth characteristics, acid-fastness and results of 16S rRNA gene sequencing were consistent with those of the genus Mycobacterium. A unique profile of biochemical reactions was observed among the 21 isolates. A single cluster of eight peaks identified by analysis of mycolic acids (HPLC) resembled those of reference patterns but differed in peak elution times from profiles of reference species of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. One isolate (M175(T)) was placed within the slowly growing mycobacteria by analysis of aligned 16S rRNA …

Spatial Dynamics And Value Of A Marine Protected Area And Corridor For The Blue Crab Spawning Stock In Chesapeake Bay, Rom Lipcius, Wt Stockhausen, Rochelle D. Seitz, Pj Geer

VIMS Articles

In lower Chesapeake Bay, a 172,235 ha marine protected area and corridor (MPAC) was recently established to protect blue crab adult females either en route to or at the spawning grounds during the reproductive period. The MPAC was justified due to a recent substantial decline in spawning stock biomass. It was situated in waters deeper than 10 in throughout the lower bay due to the high abundances of adult females in this zone, and it was an expansion of a historical spawning sanctuary near the bay mouth to include northward extensions (upper and lower MPACs). We examined spatial dynamics of …

Research Priorities For Diseases Of The Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus, Jeffrey D. Shields

VIMS Articles

The diseases of blue crabs have received relatively little attention compared to those of the American oyster, Crassostrea virginica, or the penaeid shrimps, Penaeus spp. This is primarily due to differences in resource management (fishery vs. aquaculture), and the magnitude of financial losses suffered by the industries from protozoal diseases in oysters and viral diseases in shrimp, respectively. Nonetheless, several agents including Vibrio spp., Hematodinium perezi, Paramoeba perniciosa, Ameson michaelis and Loxothylacus texanus are highly pathogenic in blue crabs, and have the capacity to severely damage certain segments of the crab population. This paper is meant to highlight priorities for …

Partitioning Loss Rates Of Early Juvenile Blue Crabs From Seagrass Habitats Into Mortality And Emigration, Ll Etherington, Db Eggleston, Wt Stockhausen

VIMS Articles

Determining how post-settlement processes modify patterns of settlement is vital in understanding the spatial and temporal patterns of recruitment variability of species with open populations. Generally, either single components of post-settlement loss (mortality or emigration) are examined at a time, or else the total loss is examined without discrimination of mortality and emigration components. The role of mortality in the loss of early juvenile blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, has been addressed in a few studies; however, the relative contribution of emigration has received little attention. We conducted mark-recapture experiments to examine the relative contribution of mortality and emigration to total …

Potential Bottom-Up Control Of Blue Crab Distribution At Various Spatial Scales, Rochelle D. Seitz, R. Lipcius, Wt Stockhausen, Et Al

VIMS Articles

Top-down (i.e., predation), bottom-up (i.e., food availability), and physical factors may influence blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) distribution. To assess the role of bottom-up and physical process in blue crab distributions, we concurrently measured density of the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus), density of its principal prey, the Baltic clam (Macoma balthica), and physical characteristics in mud and sand habitats spanning various spatial scales (1-10 km and 10-50 km) in the York River, Chesapeake Bay. Clam and crab densities were intermediate in mud, low in downriver sand, and high in upriver sand. Clam and crab densities were not correlated in mud. whereas …

Simulated Effects Of Seagrass Loss And Restoration On Settlement And Recruitment Of Blue Crab Postlarvae And Juveniles In The York River, Chesapeake Bay, Wt Stockhausen, Rom Lipcius

VIMS Articles

Seagrass meadows provide important settlement habitat, food and refuge for postlarvae and young juveniles of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus. In the York River, Chesapeake Bay, area] cover and distribution of seagrass beds has declined historically. Beds which existed 12-25 km upriver from the mouth disappeared and have not recovered. A model for planktonic postlarval behavior, coupled with a 3-dimensional hydrodynamic transport model for the York River, was used to investigate potential effects of the decline in seagrass abundance, and hypothetical restoration, on blue crab settlement and recruitment to the benthos, both in seagrass and to unvegetated bottom. Effects of …

Evidence For Sperm Limitation In The Blue Crab, Callinectes Sapidus, Ah Hines, Pr Jivoff, Pj Bushmann, J Van Montfrans, Et Al

VIMS Articles

Reproductive success of female blue crabs may be limited by the amount of sperm received during the female's single, lifetime mating. Sperm must be stored in seminal receptacles until eggs are produced and fertilized months to years after mating. Further, intense fishing pressure impacts male abundance, male size and population sex ratio, which affect ejaculate quantity. We measured temporal variation in seminal receptacle contents in relation to brood production for two stocks differing in both fishing pressure on males and latitudinal effects on reproductive season: Chesapeake Bay, Maryland and Virginia, experienced intensive fishing and relatively short reproductive season; and the …

Trophic Uptake And Transfer Of Dmsp In Simple Planktonic Food Chains, Kw Tang, R Simo

VIMS Articles

Recent field studies suggest that a large portion of phytoplankton-DMSP could be lost to grazing by protozoans, but the fate of the grazed DMSP remains uncertain. In the laboratory we studied trophic uptake and transfer of phytoplankton-DMSP through simple planktonic food chains using 2 experimental approaches: (1) A direct approach measured the ingestion and retention of phytoplankton-DMSP by the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Gyrodinium dominans. Overall, DMSP content of G. dominans estimated by the direct approach was highly variable, likely because of the low G. dominans biomass relative to phytoplankton in the samples. (2) An indirect approach, in which the omnivorous copepod …

Bacterioplankton Dynamics In The York River Estuary: Primary Influence Of Temperature And Freshwater Inputs, G. E. Schultz, E. D. White, H. W. Ducklow

VIMS Articles

Bacterial community dynamics were investigated over seasonal and basin scales within the York River estuary, Virginia. Variables describing bacterioplankton dynamics were measured at 6 stations spanning the entire salinity gradient (0 to ca. 20 psu over 60 km). Samples were collected monthly from June 1996 through May 1997 and every other month from June 1997 through May 1998. Bacterial abundance and production were high throughout the estuary. Bacterial abundance ranged from 4.4 x 10(8) to 1.3 x 10(10) cells l(-1). Incorporation of (3)H-thymidine ranged from 10 to 863 pmol(-1) h(-1) while (3)H-leucine incorporation rates ranged from 25 to 1963 pmol …

2002 Annual Awards, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Miscellaneous

The Annual Awards ceremony is an occasion in which new employees and volunteers are introduced, employee service is recognized and student and faculty awards are presented.

Seed-Density Effects On Germination And Initial Seedling Establishment In Eelgrass Zostera Marina In The Chesapeake Bay Region, R J. Orth, Jr Fishman, Mc Harwell, Sr Marion

VIMS Articles

The influence of Zostera marina L. seed-density on germination and initial seedling success was investigated using seed-addition field experiments at 2 scales in the Chesapeake Bay region in 1999 and 2000. We first tested whether germination rates and initial seedling establishment were affected by initial seed-densities of 2.5, 25, 250, and 1250 seeds m(-2) within 4 m(2) plots. We then tested whether plot size affects germination rates, following the hypothesis that rates of seed predation might be different in large and small plots. We broadcast seeds at a single density (500 seeds m(-2)) but at a much larger plot size …

Microbial Mediation Of 'Reactive' Nitrogen Transformations In A Temperate Lagoon, Iris C. Anderson, Kj Mcglathery, Ac Tyler

VIMS Articles

Coastal lagoons positioned along the land margin may play an important role in removing or transforming 'reactive' nitrogen during its transport from land to the ocean. Hog Island Bay is a shallow, coastal lagoon located on the ocean-side of the Delmarva Peninsula in Virginia (USA). External nitrogen inputs are derived primarily from agriculturally enriched groundwater, and these support, in part, the high production of benthic macroalgae and microalgae as the dominant primary producers. This study focuses on processes in the water column (phytoplankton and bacterial) and in the sediments (microalgal and bacterial) responsible for transformations of dissolved inorganic and organic …

A Review Of Published Work On Crassostrea Ariakensis, Mf Zhou, Standish K. Allen Jr.

VIMS Articles

No abstract provided.

Perkinsus Sp Infection Risk For Manila Clams, Venerupis Philippinarum (A. Adams And Reeve, 1850) On The Pacific Coast Of North And Central America, Ra Elston, Cf Dungan, Tr Meyers, Kimberly S. Reece

VIMS Articles

Manila clams (Venerupis philippinarum, A. Adams and Reeve 1850) are an important aquaculture species on the west coast of North America and are also cultured in Europe, Asia, and other locations. Clams cultured on the west coast of North America are free of Perkinsus sp. infections, while clams from certain Asian and European sources are infected. Infection in Korean Manila clams is reportedly associated with high morbidity and mortality. We evaluated the health status of readily accessible Manila clam juveniles from Korea that were proposed for importation into Mexican waters where they would increase in size, and then be shipped …

Two Species Of Oyster Larvae Show Different Depth Distributions In A Shallow, Well-Mixed Estuary, P Baker

VIMS Articles

The vertical distribution of late stage, or pediveliger, larvae of several bivalve mollusks was examined in a west Florida estuary. The study site was an artificial canal, and the water was shallow (1.5 in) and well mixed, with only modest currents. Pediveligers of three bivalve taxa were collected: the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica; the crested oyster Ostrea equestris; and unidentified shipworms (Teredinidae). Despite the shallow and well-mixed water column, larvae exhibited vertical zonation, with most larvae of all three species collected from lower in the water column. The larvae of C. virginica and shipworms showed no significant effect of time …