Animal Sciences Commons^™

Investigating The Characteristics Of Bacteria Isolated From The Sea Scallop (Placopecten Magellanicus) Larvae And Tanks, Ayodeji Olaniyi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Placopecten magellanicus, also known as the Atlantic deep-sea scallop, is a valuable marine species on North America's northeastern coast. Although adult scallops can be successfully bred in hatcheries, a perplexing and destructive event takes place during the last two weeks of larval development: a sudden and severe mortality event that causes a drastic decline in populations, with some reports suggesting that survival from egg to competent larva can sometimes be reduced to as low as 1-10% during a span of 48 hours. The precise reasons for larval mortality in sea scallops remain unclear. Prior studies have investigated infections in …

Predicting Larval Dispersal And Population Connectivity Of Sea Scallops (Placopecten Magellanicus) On The Maine Coast Through An Individual-Based Model, Kelsey M. Ward

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A hydrodynamic model of the coastal currents in the Gulf of Maine has been adapted to include an individual-based scallop larval development and behaviors module and used to estimate sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) larval dispersal along the eastern Maine coast. Larvae are released along the coastline out to a 40 m isobath during September and October, and dispersal is driven using the hydrodynamical model result for the region from 2014 through 2017. The origins of particles that “settle” in focal areas, such as Blue Hill Bay, Jericho Bay, and Narraguagus Bay, are determined from model runs, and the …

Biophysical Factors Impacting Sea Lice Settlement And Survival, Eleanor R. Glahn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) aquaculture production in Maine is a valuable contributor to the economy, the expansion of which has been challenged by the parasitic salmon louse Lepeophtheirus salmonis. As planktonic organisms, the life of the salmon louse is primarily dictated by the physical conditions of the environment: the temperature for development time, salinity for survival, and current velocity for transport. Salmon lice are obligate parasites for whom the successful infection of a suitable host is critical to completion of their life cycle. However, little is understood about the effects of current velocity on infection success. Hydrodynamic …

Developing And Characterizing A Novel Tempo Cnf Hydrogel Adjuvant And Delivery System For Aquatic Vaccines, Kora Kukk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aquaculture is a large part of the food production sector which is greatly expanding. One of the largest losses in aquaculture is due to pathogens. Current solutions for protecting farmed finfish from pathogens can be very expensive with variable efficiency. Current disease prevention strategies include vaccination. Types of vaccines include immersion vaccines, feed vaccines, and injectable vaccines. The most popular solution is oil-based injectable vaccines due to its protection. However, the oil-based adjuvant used in most of these formulations causes adverse reactions in the fish including reduced growth. These vaccines require multiple administrations throughout the fish’s lifetime causing unwanted handling …

Sustainable Production Of Feed For Recirculating Aquaculture Using Black Solider Flies And Microalgae, Patrick Erbland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The demand for high-quality, nutritious food continues to increase as human populations grow. As wild fisheries are depleted, aquaculture production is growing to meet the demand for seafood. Sustainable alternatives to wild caught fish meal are increasingly valued for aquaculture feed production. Microalgae and insect larvae are both valuable sources of fatty acids in aquaculture feed. Black soldier fly larvae, Hermetia illucens (L.) are used to convert organic waste streams into insect-based animal feeds. We tested their ability to retain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) from feeding substrates, which has important implications for their use …

Black Soldier Fly Larvae As Value-Added Feed For Aquaculture In Maine, Joshua Villazana

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Black soldier flies (BSF), Hermetia illucens (Linnaeus) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) consume decaying organic waste as larvae (BSFL) and can be used for recycling a variety of biogenic wastes. BSFL can also be processed into value-added animal feeds, including those used in aquaculture. An overarching goal of this project was to obtain additional insights into BSF biology to improve their rearing and handling in future mass-production facilities serving Maine aquaculture.

We tested BSFL growth in the laboratory on seven seafood wastes from Maine fish processing facilities. Substrates potentially suitable for BSFL rearing included finfish trimmings, wet sea cucumber, dry quahog, and sea …