Animal Sciences Commons^™

A Review Of Current Sea Cucumber And Apostichopus Californicus Knowledge And A Proposal For Future Research And Fishery Management, Lily Haug

University Honors Theses

The sea cucumber species Apostichopus californicus is fished in the Pacific Northwest region of North America and has the potential to be an economically beneficial fisheries species. An understanding of their population levels must be present to sustainably regulate their harvest. Current fisheries in North America vary in their methodology and level of regulation. The current regulations are presented and their strengths and shortfalls are described. This review gathers research done on tropical sea cucumber species and presents that knowledge alongside that regarding Apostichopus californicus to suggest future research and fishery management strategies. A. californicus takes four years to sexually …

Interests And Priorities In Sockeye Salmon Management: How Are Policies Enacted And Interpreted On Three Alaskan Rivers?, Jake P. Palazzi

University Honors Theses

The large export abundance of Alaskan salmon is well documented, and many studies have been performed to assess the economic and environmental viability of the industry and its management. Less research has been done to characterize how state intentions regarding fisheries allocation are conceived of by management or perceived by vulnerable groups in the user pool. This study seeks to qualitatively characterize the disconnect between state and Native Alaskan perceptions of management effectiveness, public interest, and Native Alaskan involvement using interviews. Results showed that Native Alaskan and state manager respondents had very different perceptions of management effectiveness and equity. When …

A Methodological Review Of Resilience Approaches For Coral In The Face Of Climate Change, Gabriella L. Martinez

University Honors Theses

A literature review of research on Resilience Based Management Theory, Aquaculture, and Assisted Gene Flow and Evolution being explored as possible methods to help the coral bleaching crisis.

Preventing Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis In Salmonid Fish Along The Columbia River Basin, Whitney L. Wright

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Annual Conference

Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) is a member of the Rhabdoviridae family and causes infectious hematopoietic necrosis (IHN) disease in many salmonid species during the juvenile or “fry” stage of life. IHNV is endemic to Western North America and occurs in the Columbia River Basin, where Steelhead and Chinook salmon are the most abundant IHNV-vulnerable species. IHNV can cause an epidemic in wild or farmed stocks, killing 90-95 percent of the fish it infects. Transmission is currently understood to occur by direct exposure through the gills, and the virus is shed typically from asymptomatic or clinically ill carrier adults at …

Columbia River Basin Salmon And Steelhead Long-Term Recovery Situation Assessment, Oregon Solutions, William D. Ruckelshaus Center

National Policy Consensus Center Publications and Reports

In the fall of 2012, after consulting with a wide range of salmon recovery partners, NOAA Fisheries asked Oregon Consensus and the William D. Ruckelshaus Center (university-based, neutral, third-party institutions devoted to promoting collaborative governance and consensusbased public policy) to conduct an independent, impartial situation assessment to explore regional views about how best to approach comprehensive, long-term salmon and steelhead recovery in the Basin. The centers assembled an Assessment Team comprised of practitioners and academics from Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

The Assessment Team conducted 206 semi-structured interviews with individuals selected for their knowledge of, engagement in, and/or concern for salmon …

Understanding The Importance Of Intermittently Fragmented Stream Habitat For Isolated Westslope Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus Clarki Lewisi) In The Colville National Forest, Washington, Forrest Michael Carpenter

Dissertations and Theses

Climate change and anthropogenic effects have vastly reduced Westslope Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi, WCT) habitat throughout their range, including the Colville National Forest in northeastern Washington where this study was conducted. Many native salmonid populations have declined in abundance since the early 1900s due to a variety of climate- and human-driven forces. Westslope Cutthroat Trout are especially sensitive to habitat loss or degradation and to climate change. Together, climate change, habitat degradation, and non-native salmonid invasions are contributing to increasingly fragmented WCT populations. Ongoing and predicted future warming trends are expected to further fragment these populations and …

A Landscape Approach To Determining And Predicting Juvenile Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus Kisutch) Movement Timing And Growth Patterns Prior To Ocean Entry, Amelia Lee Johnson

Dissertations and Theses

Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) rely on unique habitats during the winter season, which may dictate how much individuals may grow and when migration from freshwater rearing habitat to the ocean occurs. Here I analyze movement timing and growth patterns for coho salmon through a field-based study and a literature review. For the field portion, I examined hatchery-stocked juvenile coho salmon across four stream basins in the Russian River watershed, California to determine the relative importance of climate, landscape, and fish size metrics in predicting movement and growth patterns over a winter rearing and spring smolt outmigration time period …

Scientifically Defensible Fish Conservation And Recovery Plans: Addressing Diffuse Threats And Developing Rigorous Adaptive Management Plans, Kathleen G. Maas-Hebner, Carl B. Schreck, Robert M. Hughes, J. Alan Yeakley, Nancy Molina

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

We discuss the importance of addressing diffuse threats to long-term species and habitat viability in fish conservation and recovery planning. In the Pacific Northwest, USA, salmonid management plans have typically focused on degraded freshwater habitat, dams, fish passage, harvest rates, and hatchery releases. However, such plans inadequately address threats related to human population and economic growth, intra- and interspecific competition, and changes in climate, ocean, and estuarine conditions. Based on reviews conducted on eight conservation and/or recovery plans, we found that though threats resulting from such changes are difficult to model and/or predict, they are especially important for wide-ranging diadromous …

Since Time Immemorial: The Decline Of Columbia River Basin Salmon, Samuel J. Levin

Young Historians Conference

Since Time Immemorial: The Decline of Columbia River Basin Salmon studies the near extinction of what has been historically the world’s largest salmon population. By examining the issue systemically, my paper reveals that the environmental misjudgments that have brought the salmon so near extinction are not isolated, but rather are the product of cultural trends. A study of these misjudgments reveals a culture within the Columbia Basin that has, since the mid-19^th century, sought expansion for expansion’s sake and valued short-term wealth over long-term sustainability. My paper illustrates how his philosophy has guided and continues to guide Columbia Basin …

Cascades Island Lamprey Passage Structure: Evaluating Passage And Migration Following Structure Modifications, Siena Marie Lopez-Johnston

Dissertations and Theses

Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus), an endemic species to the Columbia River Basin, U.S.A, has experienced staggering decreases in returns to spawning territories in recent decades. As lamprey are threatened severely by a lack of passage at mainstem dams, lamprey specific passage structures have been designed and constructed to address the problem. The Cascades Island Lamprey Passage Structure (LPS) at Bonneville Dam is the longest and steepest structure of its type, following the addition of an exit pipe which allows lampreys to travel from the tailrace of the dam to the forebay. The intent of this study was to …

Historical Vegetation Of Three Salmon-Bearing Watersheds In The Interior Columbia River Basin, Tyanna Smith

PSU McNair Scholars Online Journal

Land use practices can be a contributing factor to environmental degradation and have been the focus of many ecological studies. One aspect that is less addressed is land use history and the effects that past practices, such as logging and grazing, can have on the current landscape. This paper describes research and the synthesis of material on the environmental history and watershed characteristics for three watersheds located within spawning and rearing areas for Chinook salmon in the Grande Ronde River Basin in Northeast Oregon: upper Grande Ronde River, Catherine Creek, and Minam River. The Grande Ronde Basin is critical spawning …

Phenotypic Variation In The Model Organism, Danio Rerio, Rachel D. Champaigne, Kim H. Brown

Student Research Symposium

Model organisms are used to study evolutionary conserved traits. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are used a model organism because of their highly fecundity, external fertilization, and robust nature, making them highly adaptable to environmental and genetic variation. In an effort to limit data variation that lies outside of topic interest, phenotypic measures of variation must be performed, understood, and taken into consideration for future studies. A common measurement of phenotypic variation in fish is in the maximum (Ucrit) swimming speeds. Inter and intra-strain variation in zebrafish Ucrit swimming speeds will be observed in a swim tunnel. Baseline values will …

Archaeological Data Provide Alternative Hypotheses On Pacific Herring (Clupea Pallasii) Distribution, Abundance, And Variability, Iain Mckechnie, Dana Lepofsky, Madonna L. Moss, Virginia L. Butler, Trevor J. Orchard, Gary Coupland, Frederick Foster, Megan Caldwell, Ken Lertzman

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Over the last century, Pacific herring, a forage fish of tremendous cultural, economic, and ecological importance, has declined in abundance over much of its range. We synthesize archaeological fisheries data spanning the past 10,000 y from Puget Sound in Washington to southeast Alaska to extend the ecological baseline for herring and contextualize the dynamics of modern industrial fisheries. While modern herring populations can be erratic and exhibit catastrophic declines, the archaeological record indicates a pattern of consistent abundance, providing an example of long-term sustainability and resilience in a fishery known for its modern variability. The most parsimonious explanation for the …

Gene Expression Life History Markers In A Hatchery And A Wild Population Of Young-Of-The-Year Oncorhynchus Mykiss, Ian D. F. Garrett

Dissertations and Theses

Life history within a single species can vary significantly. Many of these differences are associated with varying environmental conditions. Understanding what environmental conditions cue alternate life histories within a single species has been researched extensively. In salmonid fishes, more than almost any other group, varying environmental conditions give rise to individuals within species that take markedly different life history trajectories.

Oncorhynchus mykissis a species of salmonid native to the Pacific Northwest region of North America. This species has two life history forms, anadromous and resident. The anadromous form spends a portion of its life in ocean while the resident life …

Ccaat/Enhancer-Binding Protein Delta (C/Ebp-Delta) Expression In Antarctic Fishes: Implications For Cell Cycle And Apoptosis, Isaac Martin Sleadd

Dissertations and Theses

Chapter 1: Antarctic fishes are extremely cold adapted. Despite their inability to upregulate heat shock proteins, recent studies have demonstrated a capacity for heat response in these animals. A cDNA microarray study looked at the Notothenioid fish Trematomus bernacchii and revealed heat sensitivities for hundreds of genes, two of which code for members of the CCAAT/Enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) family of transcription factors. These molecular switches are best known for their roles in apoptosis, inflammation and cell cycle arrest. This dissertation further elucidates the role of C/EBP-delta in the Antarctic fishes T. bernacchii and Pagothenia borchgrevinki.

Chapter 2: C/EBP-delta is constitutively …

Evaluating The Effects Of Road Crossing Structures On Stream-Associated Amphibians In The Wilson River Watershed, Tillamook State Forest, Oregon, Sara Erin Twitchell

Dissertations and Theses

As replacement and removal of undersized culverts gains momentum as an effective technique for restoring natural stream flows and removing fish passage barriers, it is important to evaluate the benefits of these efforts on the in-stream and adjacent riparian habitat for other species of potential concern. This study compares stream-associated amphibian (SAA) occurrence in streams adjacent to different road crossing structures on unpaved forest roads in the Wilson River watershed located within the Tillamook State Forest, Oregon. Surveys were conducted at road crossing structures for three taxa of SAA; Pacific giant salamander (Dicamptodon tenebrosus), coastal tailed frog (Ascaphus truei), and …

Sub-Antarctic And High Antarctic Notothenioid Fishes: Ecology And Adaptational Biology Revealed By The Icefish 2004 Cruise Of Rvib Nathaniel B. Palmer, H. William Detrich Iii, Bradley A. Buckley, Daniel F. Doolittle, Christopher D. Jones, Susanne J. Lockhart

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The goal of the ICEFISH 2004 cruise, which was conducted on board RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer and traversed the transitional zones linking the South Atlantic to the Southern Ocean, was to compare the evolution, ecology, adaptational biology, community structure, and population dynamics of Antarctic notothenioid fishes relative to the cool/temperate notothenioids of the sub-Antarctic. To place this work in a comprehensive ecological context, cruise participants surveyed the benthos and geology of the biogeographic provinces and island shelves on either side of the Antarctic Polar Front (or Antarctic Convergence). Genome-enabled comparison of the responses of cold-living and temperate notothenioids to heat …

Relative Heart Ventricle Mass And Cardiac Performance In Amphibians, Gregory Joseph Kluthe

Dissertations and Theses

This study used an in situ heart preparation to analyze the power and work of spontaneously beating hearts of four anurans (R. marina, L. catesbeianus, X. laevis, P. edulis) and three urodeles (N. maculosus, A. tigrinum, A. tridactylum) in order to elucidate the meaning of relative ventricle mass (RVM) in terms of specific cardiac performance variables. This study also tests two hypotheses: 1) the ventricles of terrestrial species (R. marina, P. edulis, A. tigrinum) of amphibians are capable of greater maximum power outputs (P_max) compared to aquatic species (X. laevis, A. tridactylum, N. maculosus, L. catesbeianus) and, 2) …

Metabolic Support Of Anaerobiosis In Embryos Of The Annual Killifish Austrofundulus Limnaeus, Andrew Mccracken

Dissertations and Theses

Embryos of the annual killifish Austrofundulus limnaeus display a remarkable tolerance to anoxia during development, most notably during embryonic diapause. Little is known about the metabolic or enzymatic changes that accompany this state of anoxia tolerance. This study examined the metabolic changes associated with exposure to anoxia by measuring the activity of the enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), and by profiling the concentration of 31 metabolites ranging from amino acids to citric cycle intermediates at 4 different developmental stages, diapause 2 (DII), 4 days post diapause (dpd), 12 and 22 dpd. Embryos of A. limnaeus showed stage specific changes in concentrations …

The Effects Of Hypoxia And Temperature On Developing Embryos Of The Annual Killifish Austrofundulus Limnaeus, Skye N. Anderson

Dissertations and Theses

Little is known about the physiology or biochemistry of hypoxia (reduced levels of oxygen) tolerance during development in vertebrate embryos. In most species, relatively brief bouts of severe hypoxia are lethal or teratogenic. An exception to such hypoxia intolerance is the annual killifish Austrofundulus limnaeus, in which populations persist in hypoxic environments. This species inhabits seasonal ponds in Venezuela, surviving through the dry season in the form of diapausing embryos. Embedded in the pond sediment, embryos of A. limnaeus are routinely exposed to hypoxia and anoxia (lack of oxygen) as part of their normal development. Here, we exposed embryos to …

Policy Analysis For Optimizing Native Fisheries On The Mckenzie River, Mary Ray

Environmental Science and Management Professional Master's Project Reports

The impact of hatchery fish on native populations has been extensively studied, especially as environmental management has generally moved toward a conservation focus. In Oregon, the McKenzie River native rainbow trout population has been the focus of recent interest groups attempting to induce a change in management practices to support native fisheries. The McKenzie River Chapter of Trout Unlimited is interested in learning more about the impacts that hatchery stocked rainbow trout have on native river populations. It is the group's intent to seek a rule change to management by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. A review of …

The Aquarium Trade As An Invasion Pathway In The Pacific Northwest, Angela L. Strecker, Philip M. Campbell, Julian D. Olden

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

The aquarium trade moves thousands of species around the globe, and unwanted organisms may be released into freshwaters, with adverse ecological and economic effects. We report on the first investigation of the ornamental pet trade as an invasion pathway in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, where a moderate climate and a large human population present ample opportunities for the introduction and establishment of aquarium trade species. Results from a regional survey of pet stores found that the number of fish (n=400) and plant (n=124) species currently in the aquarium trade is vast. Pet stores import thousands of …

Engaging Recreational Fishers In Management And Conservation: Global Case Studies, Elise F. Granek, Elizabeth M.P. Madin, M. A. Brown, Will F. Figueira, Darren S. Cameron, Zeb Hogan, Gerry Kristianson, Pierre De Villiers, Jack E. Williams, John R. Post, S. Zahn, R. Arlinghaus

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Globally, the number of recreational fishers is sizeable and increasing in many countries. Associated with this trend is the potential for negative impacts on fish stocks through exploitation or management measures such as stocking and introduction of non-native fishes. Nevertheless, recreational fishers can be instrumental in successful fisheries conservation through active involvement in, or initiation of, conservation projects to reduce both direct and external stressors contributing to fishery declines. Understanding fishers’ concerns for sustained access to the resource and developing methods for their meaningful participation can have positive impacts on conservation efforts. We examined a suite of case studies that …

The Fisheries Of The Lower Columbia River, 1792 To 1850, Based On Euroamerican Explorer And Fur Company Accounts, Michael A. Martin

Dissertations and Theses

The role of fish in the Native American economy of the lower Columbia River has never been considered in detail. My study focused on the Columbia River from its mouth to the Cascades and the Willamette River from its confluence with the Columbia to Willamette Falls. For this study I asked: How was salmon used? What other fish were important? Where and how were these fish taken and used?

To address these questions, I evaluated historical documents, including explorer's accounts and the administrative records of fur companies dating from the late 1700's through the 1850's. I used fishery data, physical …

A Longitudinal Assessment Of Temperament In Octopus Bimaculoides, David Loyd Sinn

Dissertations and Theses

Cephalopods, including Octopus spp., are highly intelligent molluscs that play major roles in many marine food webs, both as top-level feeders (Ambrose, 1984) as well as by constituting a major source of protein for the animals above them (Lang, Hochberg, Ambrose, & Engle, 1997). They also are fascinating organisms for behavioral studies, with elaborate repertoires of behavior based on plasticity and learning (Wells, 1962a; 1962b; 1978) which in complexity rivals that of the vertebrates. The study of individual differences in behavior is a facet of behavioral research that has recently gained attention in the literature (Gosling & John, 1999). Traditionally, …

Irrigation, Power, And Salmon: The Case For Voluntary Water Transfers In The Columbia Basin, Eric Kuhner

Center for Urban Studies Publications and Reports

This paper begins with a brief history of water law in the west, illustrating the roots of conflict over water allocation. A more detailed examination of activities in the Columbia Basin follows, describing the many parties affected by issues of water use and the overlapping institutional structures that govern the river and its water.

Sources of pressure to change the current pattern of water use are then considered. These include requirements to protect endangered salmon runs and the change over time in the relative values of water for power production and irrigation. This section demonstrates how changes in the value …

The Chromosome Constitutions Of A Hybrid Salmonid And Its Parental Types: Salmo Gairdneri And Salmo Clarki, Peter Bruce Valentine Jacky

Dissertations and Theses

A study was undertaken to investigate the application of tissue culture and histochemical banding techniques normally used in mammalian studies to fish cells and to examine the mechanisms of chromosome evolution and speciation in salmonids by comparing the chromosomes of the hybrid to those of the parental types. The application of banding techniques was generally unsuccessful in revealing bands, though quinacrine staining did reveal the presence of two fluorescent spots in the vicinity of the centromere. These were thought to be heterochromatic blocks, possibly related to the high incidence of centric fusion or fission in salmonids. Results of chromosome analysis …