Life Sciences Commons^™

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

Reports

To document continued compliance with Federal law, the Anadromous Fishes Program of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) has monitored the size and age composition, sex ratio and maturity schedules of the spawning striped bass stock in the Rappahannock River since December 1981 utilizing commercial pound nets and, since 1991, variable-mesh experimental gill nets. Spawning stock assessment was expanded to include the James River in 1994 utilizing 11 commercial fyke nets and variable-mesh experimental gill nets. The use of fyke nets was discontinued after 1997. In conjunction with the monitoring studies, tagging programs have been conducted in the James …

The Demand For Aquacultural Products In Taiwan -- An Inverse Demand System Approach, Fu-Sung Chiang, Jonq-Ying Lee

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

This study compared two inverse demand systems, the Rotterdam inverse demand system and the Laitinen-Theil inverse demand system, to analyze the demand relationships among aquacultural products in Taiwan. Results demonstrate that the Laitinen-Theil’s inverse demand system fits the data better than the Rotterdam inverse demand system. The demand relationships among five groups of aquacultural products, tilapia, milkfish, other aquaculture fish, shrimp, and shellfish were examined. Monthly transaction prices from local fish markets and per capita consumption for the period from July 1990 through December 1995 for these five groups of aquacultural products were used in this study. Results show that …

Distribution And Impact Of The Oyster Parasite Bonamia Ostreae In Maine, And Its Detection Using Dna Probes, Ryan Carnegie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Health management efforts in Maine related to the flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) parasite Bonamia ostreae are limited by a lack of knowledge of the parasite’s distribution and impact in both wild and cultured populations. This information would be more readily obtainable with improved diagnostic tools. The objectives of this dissertation were to design sensitive and specific DNA probes for detection of B. ostreae; to assess the prevalence and intensity of parasite infections in wild oyster populations in Maine; and to evaluate growth and mortality of cultured oysters in the Damariscotta River, where B. ostreae is enzootic. A polymerase …

A Review Of Shellfish Restoration As A Tool For Coastal Water Quality Management., Michael A. Rice

Michael A Rice

In many areas, coastal residents and others oppose establishment of bivalve molluscan aquaculture projects on the basis of perceived negative environmental impacts. Often overlooked are positive environmental impacts of shellfish aquaculture that can potentially mitigate the impacts of other anthropogenic activities. Filter feeding by populations of bivalve mollusks is reviewed with respect to their ability to act as an estuarine filter, increase clarity of coastal waters and facilitate the removal of nitrogen and other nutrients from eutrophic coastal waters. Most species of cultured bivalve mollusks clear particles from waters at rates of 1 to 4 L/h, and populations of shellfish …

Results Of Commercial Sea Scallop Survey In The Virginia Beach Closed Area September 2000, William D. Dupaul, David Rudders, Paul J. Rago

Reports

This report presents the results of the commercial survey of the Virginia Beach Closed Area. The survey was conducted aboard the commercial sea scallop vessel F IV Alice Amanda from Hampton VA. Sampling began September 19, 2000 and was completed September 22, 2000.

Horse Creek Fen, Birdwood Creek And Kelly Ranch Inventory, Robert F. Steinauer

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

Horse Creek Fen preserve is a complex of wetland communities (Sandhills fen, Sandhills freshwater marsh, and northern sedge wet meadow) associated with Horse Creek, a ditched stream that drains the Allen Valley fen. Fen vegetation on the preserve is limited to approximately 20 acres on the western boundary of the preserve where it abuts the eastern end of the Allen Valley fen (Steinauer et al. 1996). The fen vegetation is surrounded primarily by Sandhills freshwater marsh, which in turn is surrounded by northern sedge wet meadow. Additional Sandhills freshwater marsh occurs near the eastern boundary of the preserve. The eastern …

Epizootiology Of The Parasitic Dinoflagellate Hematodinium Sp In The American Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus, Ga Messick, Jeffrey D. Shields

VIMS Articles

Hematodinium sp. is a parasitic dinoflagellate that infects and kills blue crabs Callinectes sapidus. Periodic outbreaks of dinoflagellate infections with subsequent high host mortalities prompted a study of the epizootiology and distribution of the crab pathogen. Hemolymph samples from over 13 000 crabs were assessed for infections over 8 yr. Moderate to high prevalences were found at several locations along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. In the coastal bays of Maryland and Virginia, prevalence followed a seasonal pattern, with a sharp peak in late autumn. Infections were significantly more prevalent in crabs measuring less than 30 …

Effects Of Blood Extraction On The Mortality Of The Horseshoe Crab, Limulus Polyphemus, Elizabeth A. Walls, Jim Berkson

Virginia Journal of Science

Horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) are bled by biomedical companies for the extraction of Limulus Amoebocyte Lysate (LAL), a clotting agent used in the detection of endotoxins. In 1998, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission mandated that all biomedical companies collecting horseshoe crabs for the production of LAL study the horseshoe crab mortality rates resulting from the company's blood extraction process. BioWhittaker, a Cambrex Company is one of the largest producers of LAL in the world. During the summer of 1999, bled and unbled horseshoe crabs were transported from BioWhittaker's bleeding facility in Chincoteague, Virginia to the Virginia Seafood …

The Aquaculture Of Non-Endemic Species In Western Australia Silver Perch (Bidyanus Bidyanus), Tina Thorne, H. G. Brayford

Fisheries management papers

The development of commercial aquaculture of a non-endemic species such as silver perch raises a number of important issues relating to translocation. These include the potential of the introduced species to: impact on genetic diversity; introduce disease; and impact on - the natural environment; and - the biodiversity of native species. This Management Paper has been drafted in liaison with the Department of Environmental Protection in accordance with the principles of rish assessment, taking into account the above issues. It is considered that the implementation of this policy will protect the natural environment and native fish species. It will also …

Phytosociological Analysis Of Restored And Managed Grassland Habitat Within An Urban National Park, Andrew M. Greller, Celestine Durando, Leslie F. Marcus, D. Siril A. Wijesundara, Michael D. Byer, Robert Cook, John T. Tanacredi Ph.D.

Faculty Works: CERCOM

Floyd Bennett Field (FBF), 579 ha in extent, is a division of Gateway National Recreation Area. It is the site of a former airfield, constructed by filling salt marshes with dredged materials. Except for the portion known locally as the “North Forty,” all sections of FBF have been cut over to maintain low vegetation. A grassland management plan (GRAMP) for 165 ha was initiated in 1986, to maintain habitats for open-country birds. Over the next few years, encroaching woody vegetation was removed manually and mechanically from the management area. Since then, it has been maintained as a grassland and receives …

Parental Care In Sphaerium Striatinum Lamarck: Evidence For Retention Of Competent Offspring, Mark Beekey, Ronald H. Karlson, Alyse R. Greenberg

Biology Faculty Publications

The timing of offspring release is a fundamental turning point in the life history of any organism. It represents the end to many of the most costly forms of parental care (e.g., provisioning of nutrients for developing eggs and zygotes) and the beginning of an independent life for the offspring. Generally temporal variation in this event is attributed to a variety of physiological and evolutionary trade-offs. Here we examine the retention of offspring in the freshwater clam Sphaerium striatinum Lamarck. Brooded offspring are typically not released into the environment until they are 4.0 mm shell length (SL). We provide evidence …

Juvenile Fish And Blue Crab Stock Assessment Program Bottom Trawl Survey Annual Data Summary Report Volume 1999, Wendy A. Lowery, M. Todd Mathes, Patrick J. Geer

Reports

This report summarizes data collected by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) monthly trawl survey cruises for January to December 1999. The trawl survey is a long-term, broad scope monitoring program. Its primary goal is to monitor juvenile abundance for marine and estuarine finfish and invertebrates. A major objective is to provide annual indices of juvenile abundance for recreationally, commercially, and ecologically important species of sufficient accuracy and precision for both immediate resource management needs and long-term understanding of environmental influences on fishery resources. A second important product of this effort is the documentation and monitoring of habitat utilization …

Biological And Physical Observations On Larval Spot (Leiostomus Xanthurus) Recruiting To Oregon And Ocracoke Inlets North Carolina, Thomas R. Wasaff

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Patterns of abundance, length, age, and growth of larval spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) were compared to assess the variability between spot larvae ingressing to two North Carolina inlets. The source of variability for the recruitment of larval fishes to estuarine nurseries has been linked to environmental stochasticity. Wind data and seasurface temperature satellite images were analyzed as two influential environmental variables that may help explain recruitment variability. As part of the South Atlantic Bight Recruitment Experiment (SABRE), spot larvae were collected between October 1994 and April 1995 as they recruited to Pamlico Sound through Oregon Inlet, located north of Cape Hatteras, …

Additional Evidence That Juvenile Oyster Disease Is Caused By A Member Of The Roseobacter Group And Colonization Of Nonaffected Animals By Stappia Stellulata-Like Strains, K. J. Boettcher, B. J. Barber, J. T. Singer

Biology and Ecology Faculty Scholarship

Juvenile oyster disease (JOD) causes significant annual mortalities of hatchery-produced Eastern oysters, Crassostrea virginica, cultured in the Northeast. We have reported that a novel species of the α-proteobacteria Roseobacter group (designated CVSP) was numerically dominant in JOD-affected animals sampled during the 1997 epizootic on the Damariscotta River, Maine. In this study we report the isolation of CVSP bacteria from JOD-affected oysters during three separate epizootics in 1998. These bacteria were not detected in nonaffected oysters at the enzootic site, nor in animals raised at a JOD-free site. Animals raised at the JOD enzootic site that were unaffected by JOD were …

Environmental Finance Charette, Hyannis Park On Lewis Bay: A Case Study, New England Environmental Finance Center, Environmental Finance Center Of University Of Maryland

Water

The town of Yarmouth currently has a $30 million septic sludge treatment plant and transport lines in place. The vast majority of the dwellings and businesses in the Hyannis Park area are on septic systems that are viable and Title 5 compliant, regardless of age. Conventional, "non-failing" septic systems, however, were never intended to remove form their effluent nutrients such as nitrogen. These have become recognized as an environmental threat only as our understanding of the impacts of excess nutrients on ecosystems has increased in recent decades.

Results Of Commercial Sea Scallop Survey In The Hudson Canyon South Closed Area, William D. Dupaul, David B. Rudders, Paul J. Rago

Reports

This report presents the results of the commercial survey of the Hudson Canyon Closed Area. The survey was conducted aboard the FN Alice Amanda from June 8-15, 2000. A systematic grid design was utilized with survey stations located approximately 5 nm apart (Figure l ). Survey stations were located both inside and outside the boundaries of the closed area. Additional stations were added along the western, northern ru1d southern boundaries in an attempt to resolve the boundary effects on sea scallop abundance and size distribution. Survey tows were l O minutes in duration at a speed of 4.5-5.0 kts. The …

Tb177: Evaluation Of An Experimental Filter Medium For Water Re-Use Systems, John Riley, David Cole, Robert Bayer

Technical Bulletins

This report describes the development and testing of a new material for use as a filter medium in recirculating aquaculture systems and other water quality control situations. The material consists of a combination of activated carbon and a hydrophilic urethane foam in a homogeneous matrix. Its physical properties relevant to filtration were determined. It was then tested for its ability to remove various dissolved organic compounds and inorganic nitrogenous compounds in the form of a synthetic waste-water containing ammonia and nitrite. Finally it was subjected to long-term use in the biofilter of a fish culture system. It proved to be …

Evaluating The Recruitment Of American Eel, Anguilla Rostrata, To The Potomac - Spring 2000 : March 2000 - June 2000, Patrick J. Geer, Julie A. Weeder, Steven Hammond, Rudolph Lukacovic

Reports

Measures of juvenile recruitment success have long been recognized as a valuable fisheries management tool. In the Chesapeake Bay, these measures have provided reliable indicators for future year class strength for blue crabs (Lipcius and van Engel, 1990), striped bass (Goodyear, 1985), and several other recreationally important fishes (Geer and Austin, 1999).

The American eel, Anguilla rostrata, is a valuable commercial species along the entire Atlantic coast from New Brunswick to Florida. Landings along the U.S. Atlantic coast have varied from 290 MT in 1962 to a high of 1600 MT in 1975 (NMFS, 1999). In recent years there seems …

Haplosporidiosis In The Pacific Oyster Crassostrea Gigas From The French Atlantic Coast, R Renault, Na Stokes, Et Al, Em Burreson

VIMS Articles

Two cases of haplosporidian infection occurred during 1993 in Pacific oysters Crassostrea gigas from the French Atlantic coast. The localization and ultrastructure of the plasmodia are described. In situ hybridization of infected tissue sections was conducted with DNA probes for oyster-infecting haplosporidians. The Haplosporidium nelsoni-specific DNA probe MSX1347 hybridized with the C. gigas parasite, and the H, costale-specific probe SSO1318 did not hybridize. Total genomic DNA was extracted from the infected tissue sections for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the haplosporidian. PCR amplifications with H. nelsoni-specific primers and with 'universal' actin primers did not yield the expected products of …

Preliminary Results Of Commercial Sea Scallop Survey In The Hudson Canyon South Closed Area June 2000, William D. Dupaul, David Rudders, Paul J. Rago

Reports

This report presents the preliminary results of the commercial survey of the Hudson Canyon Closed Area. The survey was conducted aboard the FN Alice Amanda from June 8-15, 2000. A systematic grid design was utilized with survey stations located approximately 5 nm apart (Figure 1). Survey stations were located both inside and outside the boundaries of the closed area. Additional stations were added along the western, northern and southern boundaries in an attempt to resolve the boundary effects on sea scallop abundance and size distribution. Survey tows were 10 minutes in duration at a speed of 4.5-5.0 kts. The sampling …

Monitoring Relative Abundance Of American Shad In Virginia's Rivers Annual Report 1999, John E. Olney Sr., John M. Hoenig

Reports

A moratorium on the taking of American shad (Alosa sapidissima) in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries was established by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) beginning 1 January 1994. The prohibition applied to both recreational and commercial fishers. The moratorium was imposed at a time when commercial catch rates of American shad in Virginia's rivers were experiencing declines. Data from the commercial fishery were the best available for assessing the status of individual stocks. Catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) data were compiled from logbooks that recorded landings by commercial fishermen using staked gill nets at various locations throughout the middle reaches of …

Marine Resource Bulletin Vol. 32, No. 2, Virginia Sea Grant, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Virginia Marine Resource Bulletin

CONTENTS

FEATURES

Virginia's Pot Fisheries by Sally Mills

Potting Black Sea Bass: An Eastern Shore Tradition by Charlie Petrocci

COMMERCIAL TRADES

Virginia Fisheries Resource Grants Benefit Oyster Fisheries by Tom Murray

Cobia Spawn in Captivity by Mike Oesterling

Update: Horseshoe Crab Research by Bob Fisher

RECREATION

Tagging Flounder & Red Drum by Jon Lucy

EDUCATION Diving Into Marine Education by Lisa Lawrence & Laura Rose

NEW PUBLICATIONS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

NATURALIST'S CORNER

Western Rock Lobster Management For Seasons 2001/2002 And 2002/2003 : A Discussion Paper, Kevin Donohue

Fisheries management papers

In Part One of this paper the discussion is focused on the suggestion that the 2001/2002 catch be increased. In Part Two other suggestions, by associations, that are primarily concerned with other aspects of the management of the fishery are discussed.

The Crest, Summer 2000, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Table of Contents:

• VIMS Scientists Successfully Spawn Cobia
• NMFS Faculty Position Established at VIMS
• Scientists Discover New Species of Perkinsus
• Researchers Discover New Pollutants Infiltrating Virginia Rivers
• Sea Scallop Research Resumed in June
• MARSH Project Will Help Save Tidal Wetlands
• Virginia's Changing Coastal Community - Indicators of Change
• New Pound-Net Design Spares Young Fish
• VIMS Scientist Studies Oysters in India
• American Shad Focus of Unique Study
• From the Coleman Bridge to Menai Bridge:
• VIMS Professor Leads Field-Course in Wales
• New Experimental Design Course for Teachers
• Students Teaching Students
• Horseshoe Crab Research is Timely
• Award Winning Bridge Website Receives Renewed Funding …

Aquaculture Plan For The Recherche Archipelago, Fisheries Western Australia.

Fisheries management papers

Land supply and land cost for aquaculture may become a limiting factor in the foreseeable future. At present, adequate appropriately zoned land is available at reasonable cost. The most prospective land for aquaculture in or near Esperance is where suitable zoned land occurs over saline ground water aquifers or adjacent to the coast. Careful site selection would be necessary to ensure water supply, waste water disposal, services and operational space can be achieved at reasonable cost.

A Quality Future For Recreational Fishing On The West Coast., West Coast Recreational Fishing Working Group

Fisheries management papers

The West Coast Region between Kalbarri and Augusta offers a wide range of recreational fishing opportunities.The West Coast Region also receives more fishing pressure than any other, with an estimated 380 000 anglers fishing each year. Already, the signs of a fishery under pressure are showing. Catch rates of dhufish around inshore reef systems such as the Three-mile are a far cry from the 1950s and 60s when people beachlaunched wooden dinghies to fish the inshore waters for these highly prized fish. Increasing pressure on stocks has led to growing community concerns that the future quality of recreational fishing is …

South Dakota Fisheries: An Evaluation Of A Chemical Immersion Marking Technique For Juvenile Yellow Perch And Application To A Stocking Assessment Of Marsh-Reared Yellow Perch Into Eastern South Dakota Lakes, Michael L. Brown, Todd St. Sauver, David O. Lucchesi, Jennifer L. Glib, M. Elizabeth Reinhart

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Currently, yellow perch Perca flavescens stocking needs in South Dakota are met by intensive trap and transfer of juvenile and adult perch. The success of these stocking efforts is largely undocumented, primarily due to problems in distinguishing yellow perch produced within the recipient water body and stocked perch. We first developed a transfer-tank marking protocol to determine immersion duration and optimal concentration of oxytetracycline (OTC) hydrochloride needed to produce an effective mark. Then we validated the protocol for adult yellow perch and determined the persistence of OTC in edible muscle tissue. Marking results indicated that satisfactory OTC marks may be …

Zoosporulation Of A New Perkinsus Species Isolated From The Gills Of The Softshell Clam Mya Arenaria, Sm Mclaughlin, Bd Tall, A Shaheen, Ee Elsayed, M Faisal

VIMS Articles

A gill-associated Perkinsus sp. isolated from the softshell clam (Myo arenaria) is described as a new species, P. chesapeaki sp. nov. Examination of the parasite in seawater cultures revealed life cycle stages and zoosporulation processes similar to those described for other species of the genus Perkinsus. Prezoosporangia developed thickened cell walls upon contraction of the cytoplasm and development of a distinctive clear area between the cell wall and the protoplast. Successive bipartition of the protoplast led to the formation of hundred's of zoospores within mature sporangia. Zoospores were released into seawater through one or more discharge tubes, Ultrastructural studies revealed …

Clam Strain Registry, Tom Gallivan, Standish K. Allen Jr.

Reports

No abstract provided.

A Review Of Shellfish Restoration And Management Projects In Rhode Island, Michael A. Rice, April Valliere, Angela Caporelli

Michael A Rice

Shellfish management and restoration efforts in Rhode Island date back to the 19th century. From the late 1890s to the Second World War the Rhode Island Fisheries Commission operated a lobster hatchery in Wickford Harbor in response to a perceived decline in lobster catches in Narragansett Bay. Berried lobsters were collected, eggs hatched, larvae reared, and postlarval fifth stage juveniles were released into the bay. The project was discontinued primarily because of costs and a failure to demonstrate the efficacy of juvenile seeding in improving lobster catches. From the 1930s to the 1980s, there have been several similar efforts to …