Life Sciences Commons^™

Evaluation Of Striped Bass Stocks In Virginia: Monitoring And Tagging Studies, 2015-2019 Progress Report 1 September 2016 - 31 November 2017, Philip W. Sadler, Lydia M. Goins, John M. Hoenig, Savannah Michaelsen, Maya L. Groner, Robert E. Harris

Reports

This report presents the results of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) tagging and monitoring activities in Virginia during the period 1 September 2016 through 31 August 2017. It includes an assessment of the biological characteristics of striped bass taken from the 2017 spring spawning run and estimates of annual survival and fishing mortality based on annual spring tagging. Also included is an investigation on the potential use of close-kin analyses to determine the size of the spawning stock in the Rappahannock River and an evaluation of mortality rates associated with the bacterial dermal disease mycobacteriosis in relation to water …

A Brief Guide To Striped Bass Ecology & Management In Chesapeake Bay, Mary C. Fabrizio, Troy D. Tuckey, Susanna Musick

Reports

Chesapeake Bay striped bass support important recreational fisheries along the US Atlantic coast; in the late 1970s, the population of striped bass collapsed as a result of overfishing and poor water quality in rivers used for spawning and rear-ing of young. Informed by stock assessments, strict management regulations were enacted in the mid-1980s and early 1990s; these highly effective regulations resulted in the recovery of the population in 1995. A key to the successful recov-ery of the Atlantic coast striped bass was the wide range of ages of spawning females and the associated differences in spawning behavior among ages. Age …

Results For The 2017 Vims Industry Cooperative Surveys Of The Mid-Atlantic, Nantucket Lightship Closed Area, And Closed Area Ii Resource Areas, David Rudders, Sally Roman, Hunter Tipton, Jennifer Anders

Reports

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) conducted high resolution sea scallop dredge surveys of the entire Mid-Atlantic (MAB) sea scallop resource area, the Nantucket Lightship (NLCA) access area and surrounds, and the CA II access area and Extension Closure during May-July of 2017 (Figure 1). These surveys were funded by the Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program (RSA). Exploitable biomass for each survey is shown in Table 1 for each spatially explicit SAMS (Scallop Area Management Simulator) model area (Figure 2-4). SAMS areas account for differences in recruitment, vital rates, and fishing effort. At the time of the surveys, exploitable …

Development And Implementation Of A High Precision Resource Wide Dredge Survey Of The Mid-Atlantic Scallop Resource Are: Final Report, David Rudders, Sally Roman

Reports

The sea scallop fishery is currently the most valuable single species fishery in the United States. Part of this success stems from a hybrid management strategy that incorporates a spatial component (rotational closed areas) with traditional fishery management approaches. While much recent attention has focused on the success of closed areas (e.g. Elephant Trunk Closed Area), production from open areas had enabled scallop landings to remain high and relatively stable over the past few years. Regardless of the management approach, timely and accurate information related to scallop distribution and biomass is critical for the effective management of the resource. This …

Discard Mortality Of Sea Scallops Following Capture And Handling In The Sea Scallop Dredge Fishery - Final Report, David Rudders, Sally Roman, James A. Sulikowski, John A. Mandlem, Ryan J. Knotek

Reports

The focus of sea scallop, Placopecten magellanicus, management over the past 20 years has been to encourage the harvest of larger animals. This has been accomplished through a series of management measures including gear modifications, effort controls, crew size limitations and spatial management to protect juvenile scallops. While these measures have been effective in reducing the harvest of small scallops, their capture does still occur. Central to fully understanding the impact of the fishery on the resource, is a comprehensive estimate of the non-harvest mortality associated with commercial operations. Non-harvest mortality can be broken down into a number of different …

Estimation Of Juvenile Striped Bass Relative Abundance In The Virginia Portion Of Chesapeake Bay: Annual Progress Report 2016-2017, Brian K. Gallagher, Mary C. Fabrizio, Troy D. Tuckey

Reports

The 2016 Striped Bass juvenile abundance index was 5.15 and was not significantly different from the reference mean of 7.77 observed in 1980-2009. Abundance indices in the James, York and Rappahannock rivers in 2016 were not significantly different than their historic averages (1967-2015). Juvenile White Perch abundance indices in 2016 were near historic averages in the York and Rappahannock rivers, but below the historic average in the James River. Because a new seine net was used during the 2016 survey, catches of Striped Bass and White Perch were adjusted using preliminary calibration factors derived from paired hauls of the old …

Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program Annual Report 2016, Susanna Musick, Lewis Gillingham

Reports

Through 2016, the Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program (VGFTP) has maintained a 21-year database of records for tagged and recaptured fish. The program is a cooperative project of the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament (VSFT) under the Virginia Marine Resources Commission-(VMRC) and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) of the College of William and Mary (under the VIMS Marine Advisory Program).

Virginia Shellfish Aquaculture Situation And Outlook Report : Results Of The 2016 Virginia Shellfish Aquaculture Crop Reporting Survey, Karen Hudson

Reports

The hatchery-based shellfish aquaculture industry in Virginia continues to grow adding significant value to the Commonwealth's seafood marketplace. Today, watermen harvest both hard clams and oysters from the Commonwealth's public resources,albeit at rates diminished from historic levels. At the same time, Virginia's watermen-farmers, utilizing production from a land-based hatchery, are providing additional quantities of quality shellfish to consumers.

This survey, in its 11th year, is intended to continue annual assessments with which to gauge growth and inputs in Virginia's hatchery-based shellfish aquaculture industry. This report is based upon an industry survey completed during the first quarter of 2017.

While these …

Annual Report - 2016 Data Collection And Analysis In Support Of Single And Multispecies Stock Assessments In Chesapeake Bay: The Chesapeake Bay Multispecies Monitoring And Assessment Program, Christopher F. Bonzek, James Gartland, Debra J. Gauthier, Robert J. Latour

Reports

Historically, fisheries management has been based on the results of single‐species stock assessment models that focus on the interplay between exploitation level and sustainability. There currently exists a suite of standard and accepted analytical frameworks (e.g., virtual population analysis (VPA), biomass dynamic production modeling, delay difference models, etc.) for assessing the stocks, projecting future stock size, evaluating recovery schedules and rebuilding strategies for overfished stocks, setting allowable catches, and estimating fishing mortality or exploitation rates. A variety of methods also exist to integrate the biological system and the fisheries resource system, thereby enabling the evaluation of alternative management strategies on …

Northeast Area Monitoring And Assessment Program (Neamap) 2016 Data Collection And Analysis In Support Of Single And Multispecies Stock Assessments In The Mid‐Atlantic: Northeast Area Monitoring And Assessment Program Near Shore Trawl Survey, Christopher F. Bonzek, James Gartland, Debra J. Gauthier, Robert J. Latour

Reports

Concerns regarding the status of fishery‐independent data collection from continental shelf waters between Cape Hatteras, North Carolina and the U.S. / Canadian border led the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Management and Science Committee (MSC) to draft a resolution in 1997 calling for the formation of the Northeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (NEAMAP) (ASMFC 2002). NEAMAP is a cooperative state‐federal program modeled after the Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (SEAMAP), which has been coordinating fishery‐independent data collection south of Cape Hatteras since the mid‐ 1980s (Rester 2001). The four main goals of this new program directly address …

Monitoring The Abundance Of American Shad And River Herring In Virginia's Rivers - 2016 Annual Report, Eric J. Hilton, Robert Latour, Patrick E. Mcgrath, Brian Watkins, Ashleigh Magee

Reports

This report describes the results of the nineteenth year of a continuing study to estimate the relative abundance and assess the status of American shad (Alosa sapidissima) stocks in Virginia by monitoring the spawning runs in the James, York and Rappahannock rivers in spring 2016, evaluating hatchery programs, and contributing to coast-wide assessments (ASMFC 2007). We also report on a new fishery-independent monitoring program using staked gillnets to determine relative abundance and stock structure for the adult spawning run of river herring (A. pseudoharengus, and A. aestivalis) in the Rappahannock River. Data are also reported from two separate fishery-independent monitoring …

Estimating Relative Abundance Of Young-Of-The-Year American Eel, Anguilla Rostrata, In The Virginia Tributaries Of Chesapeake Bay, Spring 2016, Mary C. Fabrizio, Troy D. Tuckey

Reports

American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) is a valuable commercial species along the Atlantic coast of North America from New Brunswick to Florida. In the U.S., harvests have declined, with similar patterns occurring in the Canadian Maritime Provinces (Meister and Flagg 1997). An average of 62% of the annual landings of U.S. commercial harvest since 1993 have come from the Chesapeake Bay (personal communication from the National Marine Fisheries Service, Fisheries Statistics Division, 9 February 2015). In 2013, Virginia commercial landings were approximately 100,298 lbs; since mandatory reporting began in 1993, average annual landings in Virginia have been 193,200 lbs or 19% …

Tracking Decadal Changes In Striped Bass Recruitment: A Calibration Study Of Seine Surveys In Chesapeake Bay, Mary C. Fabrizio, Troy D. Tuckey, Olivia M. Philips, Brian K. Gallagher

Reports

In this study we estimated calibration factors necessary to maintain the long‐term integrity of the juvenile striped bass surveys in the Chesapeake Bay region. These surveys provide annual indices of recruitment (estimated as juvenile fish abundance in summer) and are used by fisheries managers in Virginia and Maryland to inform adjustments of annual harvest limits for striped bass from the commercial and recreational fisheries in Chesapeake Bay. During the multi‐decadal history of the survey, a potentially influential change occurred: VIMS deployed a net (the VA net) with a mesh material that differed from the standard net that MD DNR continued …

Temperature Selectivity And Movement Patterns Of Speckled Trout, Patrick E. Mcgrath, Eric J. Hilton

Reports

Speckled trout (Cynoscion nebulosus) is the focus of an important recreational fishery in the southeastern United States. Speckled trout in Virginia has been cited as both a transitional population and as a mostly non-migratory population. The degree of residency is important to understand for the effective management of the species. Management of speckled trout has also been marred by cold-stun events which can kill a significant portion of the stock and have detrimental localized effects. Virginia is the northern extent of speckled trout populations and is the most likely portion of its range to experience cold-stun events. Virginia water temperatures …

Virginia Fishery Resource Grant Program 2016, Virginia Fishery Resource Grant Program, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

No abstract provided.

Describe If Commercial Low-Frequency Electrofishing Affects The Catch Of Blue Catfish Hoop-Net Fishery, George Trice Iv

Reports

The blue catfish Ictalurus furcatus was first introduced to Virginia tidal waters in the 1974 and currently inhabit all major Virginia tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay (Jenkins and Burkhead 1994, Schloesser et al. 2011). More recently blue catfish have spread to Maryland waters and are multiplying at an alarming rate. The James River tributary has the largest number of blue catfish (Schloesser et al. 2011) in Virginia. The amount of blue catfish inhabiting the James River in unknown but is likely to be over five million (Fabrizio et al. 2009, Greenlee 2011) and blue catfish are estimated to be over …

Microscopic Hitchhiking: Taking A Trip With Microbes And Plankton. Subjects: Life Science / Biology, Environmental Science, Marine / Ocean Science Grades: 6-8, Lucia Safi

Reports

This lesson plan develops concepts on food webs and ecological relationships, giving special attention to microorganisms and Chesapeake Bay species and dynamics. Students will conduct investigations, generate their own data and find out more about species they constantly see!

Sexual Dimorphism In Shrimp. Subjects: Life Science / Biology Grades: 9-12, Soloman Chak

Reports

Best suited for advanced high school students, this lesson offers an example of how a biologist uses morphometrics to test hypotheses about sexual selection and evolution in snapping shrimp. Students use software (ImageJ) to measure carapace and claws of two shrimp species with contrasting lifestyles. Students can take measurements themselves using ImageJ, and then analyze using Excel.

Comparing The Effectiveness Of 7.5 And 9.0 Gpps To Conduct Low-Frequency Electrofishing To Remove Invasive Catfish From Virginia Waters, George Earl Trice Iv

Reports

The blue catfish Ictalurus furcatus is a non-native species as first introduced to Virginia tidal waters in the 1974 and currently inhabit all major Virginia tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay (Jenkins and Burkhead 1994, Schloesser et al. 2011). More recently, blue catfish have spread to Maryland waters and are multiplying at an alarming rate. The James River tributary has the largest number of blue catfish (Schloesser et al. 2011) in Virginia. The amount of blue catfish inhabiting the James River in unknown but is likely to be over five million (Fabrizio et al. 2009, Greenlee 2011) and blue catfish are …

The Status Of Virginia's Public Oyster Resource 2016, Melissa Southworth, Roger L. Mann

Reports

This report summarizes data collected during 2016 in the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay. The report is composed of two parts, part one, oyster recruitment (shell string) in Virginia and part two, dredge survey of selected oyster bars in Virginia.

Shellstring Manual, Melissa Southworth

Reports

Shellstring (Spatfall) Survey Step by Step Methods

A shellstring survey is developed for a waterbody to provide an estimate of a particular area within the waterbody, or the waterbody as a whole’s potential for receiving a “strike” or settlement (set) of oysters on the bottom. It can provide an estimate of larval supply in a given system and helps describe the timing of settlement events in a given year.

High Grading Scallops On The Ocean Bottom, Tim Daniels, Fella Daniels, Robert Fisher

Reports

The Atlantic sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) resource supports large offshore fisheries on Georges Bank and the Mid-Atlantic bight. Sea scallops are bivalves living on the sea bottom along the continental shelf and are largely harvested by dredges outfitted with bags constructed of steel rings with inside diameter of 4” and designed to select out certain size scallops. Dredges are towed along the sea floor where things in its path that are not deflected (fish/turtle excluders on dredges) or able to swim away (avoid the dredge) are collected in the dredge bag. Dredges are hauled back on-board, bags dumped of their …

Vims Shark Longline Annual Report - 2017, Multispecies Research Group, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Report indicates the number of species caught, retained, released and tagged in the longline surveys.

2017 Annual Report: Estimating Relative Juvenile Abundance Of Ecologically Important Finfish In The Virginia Portion Of The Chesapeake Bay (1 June 2016 - 30 June 2017), Troy D. Tuckey, Mary C. Fabrizio

Reports

No abstract provided.

Counting Blue Crabs In The Bay! Subjects: Life Science / Biology, Environmental Science, Marine / Ocean Science Grade Level: 6-8, Bruce W. Pfirrmann

Reports

This lesson plan invites students and teachers to ponder the question: How many blue crabs are in the Chesapeake Bay, and where do we find them? Through hands-on activities and the use of real data, students will discover the excitement and grapple with the challenges faced by marine scientists as they try to quantify the use of different habitats by marine animals and estimate the size of marine animal populations.

Marine Parasites And Fish: How To Sample And Analyze. Subjects: Life Science / Biology, Environmental Science, Marine / Ocean Science Grades: 6-8, Zoemma Warshafsky

Reports

This lesson plan provides a hands-on way for students to investigate the impacts of an invasive parasitic nematode which has been targeting the American eel. Students will first “infect” pipe cleaner eels with parasitic nematodes (beads), which will then be used to simulate real-life research efforts through collecting multiple random samples of “eels” and counting the amount of parasites. They will then use this data to calculate prevalence, mean intensity, and mean abundance.

Seagrass Survivor. Subjects: Life Science / Biology, Environmental Science, Marine / Ocean Science Grades: 6-8, Amanda Bromilow

Reports

This role-play and decision-making game allows students to simulate predator-prey interactions between fish and blue crabs in a seagrass bed. Students will then make inferences about the influence of habitat and body size on juvenile blue crab survival.

Sea Turtle Csi: A Graphing Activity, Subjects: Life Science / Biology Environmental Science Marine / Ocean Science, Bianca Santos

Reports

This lesson plan invites seventh grade students to take on the role of detective to determine the time of death of the stranded turtle that washed up on shore. Students will make observations and use evidence-based reasoning to turn qualitative data into quantitative data

Eliminating The By Catch In The Conventional Crab Pot, Michael W. Joslin

Reports

This study was devised to research a possible solution to reduce the bycatch of fishes when using the conventional crab pots. A perp panel was constructed and installed into 30 crab pots, known as "treated" (T). An additional 30 pots without perp panels were also used in the study as a control, known as "untreated" (UT). These pots were placed randomly in the Nansemond River and in the James River and the study was conducted 3 times. The data included the area being fished, the depth of the water, the water temperature, type of bottom, type of bait used, the …

Seeing Red: Does The Color Of A Crab Pot Really Matter?, Dan Knott

Reports

As part of the VA Fishery Resource Grant Program, I was awarded a grant to conduct a largescale study during the 2017 crabbing season to determine if the color of a crab pot has any affect on catch. The thought behind this study was based on the previous season and seeing a significant difference and trend in the catch of certain crab pots—particularly pots with the color red. Adding to the desire to determine whether color affects catch were the conversations I had with long-time crabbers that all had differing opinions on the topic.