Animal Sciences Commons^™

Walmart's Sustainability Journey: Peter Redmond And The Search For Sustainable Seafood, David G. Hyatt

Wal-Mart Sustainability Case Project

In “Peter Redmond and the Search for Sustainable Seafood,” students examine the responses of Peter Redmond, Vice President and Divisional Merchandise Manager of Deli and Seafood, to organizational pressures to make seafood more sustainable at Walmart.

Characterization Of Atlantic Cod Spawning Habitat And Behavior In Icelandic Coastal Waters, Timothy B. Grabowski, Kevin M. Boswell, Bruce J. Mcadam, R.J. David Wells, Guđrún Marteinsdóttir

Department of Biological Sciences

The physical habitat used during spawning may potentially be an important factor affecting reproductive output of broadcast spawning marine fishes, particularly for species with complex, substrate-oriented mating systems and behaviors, such as Atlantic cod Gadus morhua. We characterized the habitat use and behavior of spawning Atlantic cod at two locations off the coast of southwestern Iceland during a 2-d research cruise (15–16 April 2009). We simultaneously operated two different active hydroacoustic gear types, a split beam echosounder and a dual frequency imaging sonar (DIDSON), as well as a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV). A total of five fish species were …

Population Characteristics, Development Of A Predictive Population Viability Model, And Catch Dynamics For Pallid Sturgeon In The Lower Missouri River, Kirk D. Steffensen

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Population characteristics and long-term population trends of pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus in the lower Missouri River are relatively unknown. As recovery efforts continue, understanding and quantifying these characteristics and trends are critical for species recovery and future management decisions. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to determine the pallid sturgeon population characteristics, predict changes to the pallid sturgeon population based on different management and life history scenarios, and examine trot line catch dynamics in the lower Missouri River. Catch rates for pallid sturgeon collected with gill nets did not significantly change while catch rates using trot lines significantly declined …

Reducing Yellowtail Flounder Bycatch In The Sea Scallop Dredge Fishery: Twine Top Modifications, Kelli Milleville Wright, David Rudders, William D. Dupaul

Reports

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of The Economic Impacts Of Recreational Boating In Virginia, Thomas J. Murray

Reports

Virginia is home to more than 200,000 recreational boats, providing a gateway to marine recreation in Chesapeake Bay and offshore waters. Virginia’s importance to boating access carries with it an expanding economy related to boating and boating related industries.

In addition to the large group of boater-citizens who reside in Virginia, local marine businesses such as marinas also provide access and berthing to many non-locally owned watercraft. While watercraft registrations provide a partial and useful estimate of the stock of boats in a region, the true economic impact arising from recreational boating primarily depends upon the type of boats as …

Harmful Algal Bloom (Hab) Primer For The Virginia Shellfish Industry, Kimberly S. Reece, Karen Hudson

Reports

No abstract provided.

Blue Crab Industry - Oyster Aquaculture Training And Transition June 2011- June 2012 Final Report, Matthew Richmond

Reports

No abstract provided.

Influences Of A Cladophora Bloom On The Diets Of Amblema Plicata And Elliptio Dilatata In The Upper Green River, Kentucky, Jennifer Maria Yates

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Freshwater mussels are the most imperiled group of freshwater invertebrates globally. Recent research suggests a better understanding of mussel feeding ecology may facilitate and improve conservation efforts. The use of stable isotopes is becoming an increasingly common method to study aquatic food webs. Carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) are two of the most frequently employed elements in food web studies. Differences in natural abundance of ¹³C/¹²C can indicate which food sources are the basal sources of carbon incorporated into a consumer’s tissue, while the ratio of ¹⁵N /¹⁴N provides a method of assessing trophic …

Effects Of Length Limits On Sexually Size Dimorphic Fishes, Peter J. Spirk

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Length limits are used by fishery managers as a method to alter size structure of fish populations. Unfortunately, biological differences between fish sexes (i.e., sexual-size dimorphism) may lead to sex-specific rates of recruitment, growth, and mortality. The addition of angler harvest to most aquatic systems likely accentuates differences in sex-specific rates by selectively harvesting the fastest-growing and largest fish from a population. The first objective of this study was to document the extent of sexual-size dimorphism for white bass and walleye at a Nebraska reservoir. Growth rates were similar between male and female white bass although male white bass were …

Strike Mechanics Of An Ambush Predator: The Spearing Mantis Shrimp, M. Devries, E. Murphy, S. Patek

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Ambush predation is characterized by an animal scanning the environment from a concealed position and then rapidly executing a surprise attack. Mantis shrimp (Stomatopoda) consist of both ambush predators (‘spearers’) and foragers (‘smashers’). Spearers hide in sandy burrows and capture evasive prey, whereas smashers search for prey away from their burrows and typically hammer hard-shelled, sedentary prey. Here, we examined the kinematics, morphology and field behavior of spearing mantis shrimp and compared them with previously studied smashers. Using two species with dramatically different adult sizes, we found that strikes produced by the diminutive species, Alachosquilla vicina, were faster (mean peak …

2012 Cultchless (Single Seed) Oyster Crop Budgets For Virginia User Manual, Karen Hudson, Dan Kauffman, Thomas J. Murray, Alexander Solomon

Reports

No abstract provided.

A Pilot Project For Assessing The Socioeconomic Issues Facing Maryland’S Working Waterfront; An Inventory Of The Choptank River Watershed, Thomas J. Murray

Reports

No abstract provided.

The Houtman Abrolhos Islands Management Plan., Department Of Fisheries Western Australia.

Fisheries management papers

The Houtman Abrolhos Islands Management Plan aims to describe how this vision and associated strategic objectives can be achieved over the next five years, through addressing the risks posed to the cultural and environmental heritage values of the Abrolhos.

The Lobster Bulletin, Fall 2012, Lobster Institute, University Of Maine

Lobster Bulletin

The Lobster Bulletin newsletter includes research updates, and information on lobsters and the lobster industry. The Lobster Institute at the University of Maine is dedicated to protecting and conserving the lobster resource, and enhancing lobstering as an industry and a way of life.

Headlines in the Fall 2012 issue include:

• Group Seeks to Protect Ocean by Promoting Better Lawn Care Practices
• Lobster Institute 25th Anniversary Celebration Continues
• Maine Conforms First-Ever Case of West Nile Virus
• Research Report: Direct Determination of Age in Lobsters
• Research Report: Lobster Cam Back Online Soon
• Lobster Council Taking Giant Step Forward

Nantucket Shellfish Management Plan, Matthew Herr, Frank Dutra, Tara Riley, Sarah Oktay, Peter Boyce, Doug Smith, Carl Sjolund, Jake Kritzer, Cormac Collier, Dave Fronzuto, Kristin Uiterwyk, Jack Wiggin, Dale Leavitt, Steve Bliven, Allison Novelly, Dan Hellin

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

Nantucket’s shellfisheries are significant both locally and nationally. Locally, commercial and recreational shellfishing are critical to the Island’s history, culture, and economy. Nationally, the Island’s largest commercial shellfishery — the Nantucket bay scallop fishery is one of the last wild-harvest bay scallop fisheries in the country, but there is growing concern over the health of the overall population and the sustainability of the fishery. Given the importance of the shellfisheries on Nantucket and the drastic decline of bay scallop populations elsewhere along the Atlantic coast, there is a compelling interest in ensuring that the Town’s shellfish are managed to sustain …

Swimways: Protecting Paddlefish Through Movement-Centered Management, Brenda M. Pracheil, Mark A. Pegg, Larkin A. Powell, Gerald Mestl

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Attempts to mitigate lack of formal interjurisdictional paddlefish management have been made in the United States through the Mississippi River Interstate Cooperative Resource Association (MICRA). We used 1988–2009 data from the MICRA paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) stock assessment database—a database containing mark–recapture and biometric information on more than 30,000 individually marked wild paddlefish and more than 2 million hatchery-origin paddlefish—to estimate survival and movement across large and potentially biologically relevant spatial scales. Paddlefish frequently moved between political jurisdictions with differing conservation strategies and harvest regulations and showed differences in survival parameter estimates throughout their range. We argue that the degree of …

Identification Of Critical Habitats For Juvenile Dhufish (Glaucosoma Hebraicum) Nrm Project 09038 – Protecting Inshore And Demersal Finfish, Paul D. Lewis, Gabby E. Mitsopoulos, Brett W. Molony

Fisheries research reports

The Western Australian dhufish (Glaucosoma hebraicum) is an iconic demersal species that is endemic to the lower west and south coasts of Western Australia (WA). Information on the critical habitat and distribution of juvenile dhufish, less than two years of age and ca 150 mm total length (TL), was limited to a single study in one area where they have been previously collected. Increasing the knowledge on the habitat types occupied by juvenile dhufish, the distribution of these habitats in the West Coast Bioregion and methods to potentially monitor the annual recruitment of the species are important in their management.

The Effect Of Medetomidine On The Burying Speed Of Corbicula Fluminea, Andrew K. Schmucker

Student Publications

A new anti-fouling drug, medetomidine, was tested to determine if it reduced the burying speed of a freshwater alien-invasive bivalve species, Corbicula fluminea. Corbicula are known to damage underwater structures and must be managed with chemical paints. The burying speeds of Corbicula were measured both before and after exposure to two different concentrations of medetomidine. The burying speed of Corbicula before exposure to a 1x10^-6 M medetomidine solution was not significantly different from the burying speed after exposure (t=.55, df=21, p=.588). The burying speed of Corbicula was significantly slower after exposure to a 1x10^-5 M medetomidine solution …

A Review Of The Management Arrangements And Licensing Framework For The Aquatic Tour Industry In Western Australia. Discussion Paper On Management And Licensing Options For The Aquatic Tour Industry., Department Of Fisheries Western Australia

Fisheries management papers

The Department of Fisheries (Department) is proposing a new simplified management approach which focuses on fishing as the core criteria in the new licensing framework. Given the low level of impact of aquatic eco-tours and shore-based fishing, consideration is being given to removing the need for these activities to be formally licensed. The Department is of the view that these activities can be adequately managed by regulations that have broader application across the community.

The current management, licensing and fee structures are complex and provide limited business flexibility. A simplified management approach will also improve the Department’s capacity to monitor …

West Coast Deep Sea Crustacean Managed Fishery Draft Management Plan 2012, Department Of Fisheries Western Australia.

Fisheries management papers

The West Coast Deep Sea Crustacean (Interim) Management Plan 2007 took effect on 1 January 2008 and expires on 31 December 2012. The Interim Plan provides the management framework for the West Coast Deep Sea Crustacean (Interim) Managed Fishery (WCDSCIMF).

Simulated Performance Of Catch Curve Methods For Estimating Total Mortality Rate, Matthew W. Smith, John M. Hoenig

Reports

This document has been issued as VIMS Data Report 60 and provides additional simulation results for Smith et al. (2012) published in the North American Journal of Fisheries Management. Catch curve methods are a basic tool of population dynamics for estimating total mortality rate from age composition. There are a number of methodological issues which remain unresolved. Smith et al. (2012) attempts to provide guidelines on the use of these methods based on extensive Monte Carlo simulations. This report presents additional simulation results to supplement the results in the journal article. The estimators, evaluation criteria, simulation procedures, and conditions simulated …

Mapping Shallow Water Habitats Of The Wallabi Group, Houtman Abrolhos Islands, Using Remote Sensing Techniques, Scott N. Evans, Lynda M. Bellchambers, K Murray

Fisheries research reports

The use of mapping techniques to identify and quantify habitats is becoming an increasingly important tool for the effective management of marine resources. With a multitude of techniques such as remote sensing, acoustic surveys and towed video all commonly used, the decision on the methodology to use depends on the resolution of output data required to answer the objectives of the survey, the spatial extent and location of survey site as well as the associated costs of surveying

Topeka Shiner (Notropis Topeka): Species Conservation Assessment, Melissa J. Panella

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

The primary goal in development of at-risk species conservation assessments is to compile biological and ecological information that may assist conservation practitioners in making decisions regarding the conservation of species of interest. The Nebraska Natural Legacy Project recognizes the Topeka shiner (Notropis topeka) as a Tier I at-risk species of high priority for conservation. Some general management recommendations are made here regarding Topeka shiners; however, conservation practitioners will need to use professional judgment to make specific management decisions based on objectives, location, and a multitude of variables. This resource was designed to share available knowledge of the Topeka shiner that …

Evaluating Recruitment Of American Eel, Anguilla Rostrata, In The Potomac River (Spring 2012), Troy D. Tuckey, Mary C. Fabrizio

Reports

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) adopted the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the American eel in November 1999. The FMP focuses on increasing coastal states’ efforts to collect American eel data through both fishery-dependent and fishery-independent studies. Consequently, member jurisdictions agreed to implement an annual survey for young-of-year (YOY) American eels. The survey is intended to “…characterize trends in annual recruitment of the YOY eels over time [to produce a] qualitative appraisal of the annual recruitment of American eel to the U.S. Atlantic Coast” (ASMFC 2000). The development of these surveys began in 2000 with full implementation …

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 …

The Role Of Mycobacteriosis In Elevated Natural Mortality Of Chesapeake Bay Striped Bass: Developing Better Models For Stock Assessment And Management : A Final Report, Wolfgang K. Vogelbein, John Hoenig, David Gauthier, Matthew Smith, Phil Sadler, Howard Kator, Martha Rhodes

Reports

Mycobacteriosis is a chronic systemic disease of fishes caused by bacteria belonging to the genus Mycobacterium. The disease currently affects striped bass throughout Chesapeake Bay and prevalence is higher than 90% in certain age groups. Two recently described species, M. shottsii and M. pseudoshottsii, are the most common isolates obtained from diseased fish and are considered the primary etiologic agents. Recent indications that natural mortality (M) has become elevated in Chesapeake Bay striped bass and that mycobacteriosis may be the underlying cause, has caused concern among fishermen, fisheries managers and scientists. However, fundamental questions, such as transmission mode, duration of …

An Assessment Of Sea Scallop Abundance And Distribution In Selected Areas: Nantucket Lightship Closed Area, Hudson Canyon Closed Area, And The Delmarva Closed Area, David Rudders, William D. Dupaul, Jessica Bergeron

Reports

No abstract provided.

Nutritional Content Of Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca Monocerata) Bill Loads, Dustin Taylor, Ron Heintz

STAR Program Research Presentations

Nutritional Content of Rhinoceros Auklet Bill Loads

Dustin E Taylor

Abstract

An adult Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata) can only catch and carry a limited amount of prey to their nestlings after a foraging trip. The auklets therefore must maximize their efficiency by bringing back the most proportionally nutritious prey items to their nestlings. The prey carried back to the nesting sites (known as a ‘bill load’) can contain whole fish, as well as parts, most commonly fish heads. This study is aimed to determine whether returning with just heads to the nestlings was proportionally more nutritious than bringing …

A Genetic Survey Of English Sole Populations In The Salish Sea, Elizabeth S. Gutierrez, Gary A. Winans, Jon Baker, Amanda Cope

STAR Program Research Presentations

This summer I interned at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, WA and participated in NOAA’s Salish Sea Project. The Salish Sea Project’s goal is to identify genetically distinctive groups of species in the Salish Sea that may have unique evolutionary and/or adaptive backgrounds. These findings will allow NOAA to promote and monitor the natural production of species in the Salish Sea, to select representative populations for experimental work regarding pollution, ocean acidification and climate change, to contribute to managing the ecosystem for intra- and inter-species diversity, and to help make informed decisions about adaptive management and marine protected …

Developing Monitoring Methods For Leptasterias Spp. As Sentinel Species In Detecting Local Environmental Changes, Zachary Sturbaum, Kathryn Nuessly, Riley J. Smith, C. Sarah Cohen

STAR Program Research Presentations

Leptasterias spp., a six-rayed sea star, is found in rocky intertidal habitats ranging from Alaska to central California. Leptasterias spp. can be monitored on a broad scale throughout their range by a variety of means using timed counts and random plot censusing in order to detect both large-scale and local-level changes in the environment due to climate change, land-based human activity, or other environmental events. Leptasterias brood their young externally until the embryos grow into fully developed juveniles. These juveniles disperse by crawling away, limiting their dispersal potential. This localized dispersal provides an opportunity to use Leptasterias spp …