Animal Sciences Commons^™

Characterization Of Recent Wild Pig‑Vehicle Collisions In Georgia, Usa, Jeremiah L. Psiropoulos, Emily Howe, John J. Mayer, Sophie C. Mckee

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Vehicle collisions with wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are reported almost everywhere this species is found. However, this is one of the least studied and characterized forms of damage that these invasive animals cause in the United States (US). We analyzed 518 wild pig-vehicle collisions (WPVCs) that took place statewide in Georgia between 2015 and 2021. From that dataset, we analyzed several parameters in order to better understand and characterize these accidents on a scale that had previously not been done in the US. Wild pig-vehicle collisions were reported from 105 out of the 159 counties in Georgia, increasing …

Statistical And Machine Learning Approaches To Describe Factors Affecting Preweaning Mortality Of Piglets, Md Towfiqur Rahman, Tami M. Brown-Brandl, Gary A. Rohrer, Sudhendu R. Sharma, Vamsi Manthena, Yeyin Shi

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

High preweaning mortality (PWM) rates for piglets are a significant concern for the worldwide pork industries, causing economic loss and well-being issues. This study focused on identifying the factors affecting PWM, overlays, and predicting PWM using historical production data with statistical and machine learning models. Data were collected from 1,982 litters from the United States Meat Animal Research Center, Nebraska, over the years 2016 to 2021. Sows were housed in a farrowing building with three rooms, each with 20 farrowing crates, and taken care of by well-trained animal caretakers. A generalized linear model was used to analyze the various sow, …

Building Artificial Reefs From Recycled Construction Materials: A Feasibility Study, Nicholas H. Lew

Construction Management

Naturally occurring reefs are some of the world’s most biologically diverse ecosystems formed by jagged rocks tucked slightly below sea level. In recent years global warming began to pose a major threat to many reef habitats. Most relevant is the increase in surface seawater temperatures that cause coral to bleach, taking away major food sources for larger marine species. Researchers have combated this by deploying artificial reefs in substitution for naturally formed limestone rock formations in order to promote the expansion of coastal habitats. This project specifically aims to utilize construction waste towards the production of artificial reefs, effectively upcycling …

Bioaccumulation Of Polychlorinated Biphenyl Compounds And Mercury In A Mining Impacted Aquatic Ecosystem, Michelle Bollini

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The Keweenaw area continues to be influenced by the century of copper mining that ended nearly 50 years ago. This project is focused on Torch Lake, an aquatic ecosystem that has been heavily impacted by mining waste disposal. The watershed has been impaired by mine discharge and tailings, smelter and smokestack plumes, and poor waste disposal practices. The lake is listed as a Great Lakes Area of Concern with beneficial use impairments of restrictions on fish consumption and a degraded benthic community. Polychlorinated biphenyl compounds (PCBs) and methylmercury (MeHg) are persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic substances (PBTs). These contaminants pose threats …

Fish And Invertebrate Use Of Restored Vs. Natural Oyster Reefs In A Shallow Temperate Latitude Estuary, Jonathan H. Grabowski, Christopher J. Baillie, Adam Baukus, Rachael Carlyle, F. Joel Fodrie, Rachel K. Gittman, A. Randall Hughes, David L. Kimbro, Juhyung Lee, Hunter S. Lenihan, Sean P. Powers, Kevin Sullivan

University Faculty and Staff Publications

Coastal marine habitats continue to be degraded, thereby compelling largescale restoration in many parts of the world. Whether restored habitats function similarly to natural habitats and fully recover lost ecosystem services is unclear. In estuaries, oyster reefs have been degraded by multiple anthropogenic activities including destructive fishing practices and reduced water quality, motivating restoration to maintain oyster fisheries and other ecosystem services, often at relatively high cost. We compared fish and invertebrate communities on recently restored (0–1 year post-restoration), older restored (3–4 years post-restoration), and natural oyster reefs to determine if and when restored reefs support functionally similar faunal communities. …

Impact Of Covid-19 On Aviation-Wildlife Strikes Across Europe, Isabel C. Metz, Marta Giordano, Dionysios Ntampakis, Marianna Moira, Anneke Hamann, Rosanne Blijleven, Jürgen J. Ebert, Alessandro Montemaggiori

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Collisions between aircraft and wildlife (i.e., wildlife strikes) pose a serious threat toward the safety of aircraft, its crew, and passengers. The effects of COVID-19 related travel restrictions on wildlife strikes are unknown. With this study, we aim to address this information gap by assessing the changes of wildlife hazard management performance across European airports during the lockdown period (e.g., period of reduced operations and borders closure in spring 2020). We also sought to raise awareness of the importance of wildlife strike prevention in times of reduced operations. The objective of our study was to compare wildlife strike data before …

Photovoltaic Systems On Dairy Farms: Financial And Renewable Multi-Objective Optimization (Farmoo) Analysis, Michael Breen, J. Upton, Michael D. Murphy

Publications

No abstract provided.

Life Cycle Assessment Of The Us Beef Processing Through Integrated Hybrid Approach, Shaobin Li, Yuwei Qin, Jeyamkondan Subbiah, Bruce Dvorak

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Hybrid life cycle assessment (LCA) incorporating process-based and economic input-output (EIO)–based inventory data has been applied in various industries (e.g., wind energy, biofuel). Few hybrid LCA studies have been found in the food industry. This work analyzes the life cycle environmental impacts of the US beef processing industry using process-based and integrated hybrid LCA. The process-based inventory includes all resource inputs and waste outputs associated with a beef processing plant. The EIO-based inventory includes key activities missing in the process-based inventory, such as technical and management service, wood and paper, and industrial equipment. Ten environmental impact categories from TRACI v2.1 …

Sustainability Assessment Of U.S. Beef Processing And Its Antimicrobial Systems, Shaobin Li

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

With the increasing meat demand and awareness of sustainability, concerns have been raised regarding the sustainability of beef production and processing. However, scarce data and inadequate sustainability assessment frameworks for the U.S. beef processing industry limit the ability to develop new technologies and policies comprehensively without shifting sustainability burdens. To fill those gaps, various assessments of the U.S. beef processing industry were conducted from multiple perspectives regarding the environmental, economic, microbial effectiveness of its antimicrobial systems, and human health impacts from foodborne illness, occupational hazards, and environmental pollution.

First, process-level water and energy usage at a typical large-size beef processing …

Radical Social Ecology As Deep Pragmatism: A Call To The Abolition Of Systemic Dissonance And The Minimization Of Entropic Chaos, Arielle Brender

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper aims to shed light on the dissonance caused by the superimposition of Dominant Human Systems on Natural Systems. I highlight the synthetic nature of Dominant Human Systems as egoic and linguistic phenomenon manufactured by a mere portion of the human population, which renders them inherently oppressive unto peoples and landscapes whose wisdom were barred from the design process. In pursuing a radical pragmatic approach to mending the simultaneous oppression and destruction of the human being and the earth, I highlight the necessity of minimizing entropic chaos caused by excess energy expenditure, an essential feature of systems that aim …

Rice Hull Bioreactor For Recirculating Aquaculture, Marlon A. Greensword

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The engineering of floating media biofilters has been optimized over the years. The backwashing process has made them more energy and water efficient. Likewise, moving bed bioreactors (MBBR) are gaining interest and popularity because they are relatively affordable to build. Yet, developing countries’ aquaculture production remains largely excluded from the advances made in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). This discrepancy is partially driven by the high costs of media such plastic beads and Kaldnes (KMT) media, commonly used in MBBR.

This dissertation evaluates the usability and profitability of rice hulls (RH), an abundant by-product in many developing nations, as a sinking …

Effects Of Nonaerated Circulation Water Velocity On Nutrient Release From Aquaculture Pond Sediments, Xiangju Cheng, Dantong Zhu, Xixi Wang, Deguang Yu, Jun Xie

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Sustaining good water quality in aquaculture ponds is vital. Without an aerator, the dissolved oxygen in ponds comes primarily from mass transfer at the water-ambient atmosphere interface. As sediment can seriously affect water quality, this study used indoor experiments to examine the nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) release mechanisms and fluxes from sediment in aquaculture ponds with moving water but no aeration. The results showed that the ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N) concentration in the overlying water was inversely proportional to flow velocity and that a higher flow velocity tended to result in a lower concentration in the overlying water, a …

Invasive Species Impacts On Infrastructure, Invasive Species Advisory Committee

National Invasive Species Council

Executive Summary

Invasive species represent one of the most significant threats to ecosystems, human and animal health, infrastructure, the economy, and cultural resources. Because potentially invasive, non-native species typically enter the United States through ports of entry in urban environments, some of the first observable impacts may be to infrastructure, yet little is known about the economic costs associated with these impacts to the “built” environment. In addition, federal agencies currently lack the authority necessary to effectively prevent, eradicate, and control invasive species that impact the human-built environment. This lack of authority prevents rapid response to some of the most …

Session E8: Can We Measure Cumulative Effects Of Hydro-Power On Migratory Fish? Development Of A Cumulative Effects Model Framework, Iain Stewart-Russon, Simon Palmer, David Fraser

David Fraser, PhD

Abstract: The Environment Agency provides guidance for run-of-river hydropower schemes in England, but concerns about small effects from multiple single schemes led to a project to determine how these can be assessed and to test an approach on migratory fish populations. We developed a model to assess the impact of multiple hydropower schemes. The model forecasts catchment-scale cumulative effects using three elements: hydropower scheme, spatial fish population and fish life cycle. The scheme element includes effects that are important to migratory fish and those that can be quantified. These are: 1) impediment to up- and downstream migration; 2) alleviation of …

Early Life History Of Three Pelagic-Spawning Minnows Macrhybopsis Spp. In The Lower Missouri River, T. A. Starks, M. L. Miller, J. M. Long

US Army Corps of Engineers

Life-history characteristics of age-0 sturgeon chub Macrhybopsis gelida, shoal chub Macrhybopsis hyostoma and sicklefin chub Macrhybopsis meeki were compared using several methods. All Macrhybopsis species consumed mostly midge pupae, but M. meeki had the most general diet (Levins’ index, B=0⋅22) compared with M. hyostoma (B=0⋅02) and M. gelida (B=0⋅09). Morisita’s diet overlap index among species pairs ranged from 0⋅62 to 0⋅97 and was highest between M. hyostoma and M. gelida. Daily ages estimated from lapilli otoliths for each species ranged from 15 to 43 days for M. gelida, 19 to 44 for …

Interdisciplinary Modeling For Water-Related Issues Graduate Course, Laurel Saito, Alexander Fernald, Timothy Link

All ECSTATIC Materials

The science and management of aquatic ecosystems is inherently interdisciplinary, with issues associated with hydrology, atmospheric science, water quality, geochemistry, sociology, economics, environmental science, and ecology. Addressing water resources issues in any one discipline invariably involves effects that concern other disciplines, and attempts to address one issue often have consequences that exacerbate existing issues or concerns, or create new ones (Jørgensen et al. 1992; Lackey et al. 1975; Straskraba 1994) due to the strongly interactive nature of key processes (Christensen et al. 1996). Thus, research and management of aquatic ecosystems must be interdisciplinary to be most effective, but such truly …

Session C9: Cle Elum Dam Fish Passage: Novel, Research Driven Designs To Allow Downstream Passage For Juvenile Salmonids, Jason Wagner

International Conference on Engineering and Ecohydrology for Fish Passage

Abstract:

When Cle Elum Dam (Washington, USA) was constructed, a highly productive sockeye salmon fishery was lost. As part of the proposed Yakima Basin Integrated Plan, fish passage will be restored at this site. For the migrating adults, a trap and haul fish collection facility will be constructed. For downstream juvenile salmon passage, a selective level outlet works, helical fish slide, and outfall will be constructed. The juvenile passage features groundbreaking research; primarily that of the helical fish slide. The presentation will cover aspects of the history of the project, the research driven designs, and the final designs (to be …

Session E9: Function Control Of Fish Migration Facilities At The Hydro Power Plant Kostheim At River Main, Dr. Jörg Schneider

International Conference on Engineering and Ecohydrology for Fish Passage

Abstract:

Applying various conventional and modern monitoring methods a function control of downstream migration facilities and turbine passage related mortality was conducted at the Kostheim Hydro Plant (4,9 MW; two Kaplan turbines; Δh max. 3,74 m, at MQ 2,36 m) at the river Main (km 3,2). Furthermore, the perceptibility and passability of a nature-like bypass for upstream migration was examined. Results showed a size selectivity of the bypass caused by an unsuitable entrance position 40 m downstream of the outlet of the turbines. The effectiveness of the downstream migration facilities proved to be low, leading to high mortalities at the …

Session A9: To Fill Or Not To Fill: Stream Simulation And Embedded Aquatic Organism Passage Structures, Robert Gubernick, Dan Cenderelli, Mark Weinhold, Dale Higgins, Jessica Kozarek, Sara Mielke

International Conference on Engineering and Ecohydrology for Fish Passage

Abstract:

Throughout North America stream simulation and embedded / recessed culverts are used to facilitate the passage of aquatic organisms thru road stream crossings. Although the concept of naturelike streambeds inside these structures is widely embraced, the design methodology and construction practice varies widely between state and federal agencies. Much debate has occurred with one specific requirement, whether or not to place stream bed material inside these structures. Not placing bed material inside structures assumes on going sediment transport processes will fill the structure’s interior with streambed materials. This is assumed to be a cost saving measure from both a …

Session C9: Priest Rapids Fish Bypass: A Case Study From Start To Finish, Curtis Dotson

International Conference on Engineering and Ecohydrology for Fish Passage

Abstract:

Priest Rapids Dam is a large (955 MW) hydroelectric dam on the Columbia River in Washington State, USA. As part of regulatory requirements associated with its FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) license and other agreements, the Public Utility District No. 2 of Grant County, WA was required to design and install non-turbine fish passage for downstream migrating juvenile salmonids at the dam, for the purpose to help meet its pre-establish survival standards for salmonid smolts passing through the Priest Rapids Hydroelectric Project during their downstream migration. This presentation is a case study highlighting the numerous steps that went into …

Session A9: Maintaining Agency Capacity For Ongoing And Future Road-Stream Crossing Challenges, Kurt Gernerd

International Conference on Engineering and Ecohydrology for Fish Passage

Abstract:

The USDA Forest Service is dedicated to managing the habitat, watersheds and terrestrial and aquatic organisms that live and migrate through the National Forest lands and waters throughout the United States, Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. To achieve our mission and advance sound stewardship of all natural and manmade resources, we work closely with tribes, local, state and federal agencies, our stakeholders, and partners to find sciencebased solutions to complex ecological issues. Within our National Forests there is a large transportation network that is vital to communities and the economy, and this network also includes many road‐stream crossings, which …

Session B9: How Fish Use And Process Flow Information, Joachim Mogdans, Horst Bleckmann

International Conference on Engineering and Ecohydrology for Fish Passage

Abstract:

Fish use the mechanosensory lateral line and the acoustic system for the processing of hydrodynamic information. With their lateral line fish perceive the amplitude, direction and frequency content of water motions relative to their body and tail fin surface as well as local pressure gradients across their head and trunk. With the acoustic system fish detect the particle displacement component and the pressure amplitude of a sound wave. Both, the lateral line and acoustic system, play an important role in many fish behaviors, including schooling, predator avoidance, intraspecific communication and prey detection. With the acoustic system fish not only …

Session E9: Incorporating Fish Friendly Solutions In Existing Pumping Stations; An Economical Solution Enabling Fish Migration, Lars Krakers

International Conference on Engineering and Ecohydrology for Fish Passage

Abstract:

The low lying parts of Holland are vulnerable to flooding and are therefore heavily protected by dykes and several pumping stations. These however cause serious obstacles to migratory fish. Pumping stations can be lethal barriers for fish migration. Currently a lot of pump manufacturers are developing new fish friendly pumps. To fit these new pumps in existing pumping stations, usually civil adjustments are required at considerable costs. A more cost effective alternative would be to perform a fish friendly upgrade of the existing pumps.

During the last 3 years Flowserve conducted excessive research to increase their knowledge on fish …

Session E9: Cumulated Mortalities Of Salmon And Eel In The Turbines Of The Loire-Brittany District, Cédric Briand, Marion Legrand, Pierre-Marie Chapon, Laurent Beaulaton, Gaelle Germis, Marie-Andree Arago, Timothee Besse, Laura De Canet, Pierre Steinbach

International Conference on Engineering and Ecohydrology for Fish Passage

Abstract:

The effect of dams on mortality during downstream migration was simulated using distribution and mortality models in the whole Loire-Brittany water district (155 000 Km2). A combination of models was used: (1) juvenile habitats for smolts, (2) productivity of juvenile salmon habitats, (3) production of silver eels (EDA model), The models (1)*(2) and (3) were used to predict the number of downstream migrants in the current conditions and with a transparent upstream migration. (4) Turbine mortality was calculated from either the characteristics of the turbine (diameter, rotation speed, height ...) or by extrapolation from the average mortality when information …

Session A9: Green Infrastructure And Blue Habitat: Impacts Of Watershed Conditions And Stormwater Management On River Health And Fish Passage, Cathy Bozek

International Conference on Engineering and Ecohydrology for Fish Passage

Abstract:

Actions and land use in the watershed impact river habitat quality and fish migration. Stormwater runoff from developed land often carries high sediment loads that obstruct rivers, and excess nutrients that promote dense vegetation blooms, leading to conditions that severely hinder fish passage. Research shows that watershed impervious cover is a strong indicator of fluvial fish community health. Expanding directly-connected impervious surface in the watershed increases these impacts, while improved stormwater management can reduce the impacts and benefit the river system. Green infrastructure, including both sitespecific best management practices and landscape level conservation and restoration of natural lands, provides …

Session B9: Influence Of Biometric Parameters, Flow Condition And Water Temperature On Iberian Fish Sprinting Behavior: Volitionally Swimming Performance, Jorge Ruiz-Legazpi, Francisco‐Javier Sanz-Ronda, Francisco‐Javier Bravo-Cordoba, Sergio Makrakis, Theodore Castro-Santos

International Conference on Engineering and Ecohydrology for Fish Passage

Abstract:

Knowing the swimming ability of fish is important to detect movement limitations through hydraulic structures: fish passes weirs and slots, gauging stations, culverts, bridges foundations and other. All these obstacles are collectively referred to "velocity barriers". Fish behavior will determine the passage of these structures through combination of fish swimming performance and motivation. Once the fish decides to enter the barrier, must swim faster than the speed of the flow to advance. Thus, the swimming performance depends on the fish speed and fatigue time. To estimate these values, we experimented in an open channel flow with fish samples of …

Session E9: Migration Of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar) At Low-Head Archimedean Screw Hydropower Schemes, Robert Brackley, Colin Bean, Rhian Thomas

International Conference on Engineering and Ecohydrology for Fish Passage

Abstract:

There has been a rapid increase in development of small-scale hydropower schemes across Europe. Such schemes may impact upon migratory fish populations through modification of migration pathways. There is a clear need for scientific evidence to inform guidelines for the design, placement and management of small-scale hydropower schemes for the protection of migratory fish. The proliferation of the Archimedean screw turbine (AST) for lowhead applications is concerning because although these turbines are purported to cause negligible damage to fish passing through them, the available data is limited.

The studies presented assess the impacts of low-head AST hydropower schemes on …

Session B9: Size Matters Even For The Ubiquitous Fish Speed Metric Of Bl/S, Chris Katopodis, Rick Gervais

International Conference on Engineering and Ecohydrology for Fish Passage

Abstract:

The use of BL/s, i.e. body lengths per second (dimensions of s-1), to express relative swim speeds for fish is very common. The physiological literature demonstrates the following: a) fish length is a strong predictor of swimming performance; b) longer fish achieve higher absolute swim speeds (dimensions of m/s) than shorter ones, at least for the same species; c) when swim speeds are expressed in BL/s, shorter fish have higher relative speeds than longer ones. Therefore, it is difficult to estimate swim speeds of large fish from small fish and vice versa, when using these absolute or relative swim …

Session B8: Swimming Behaviour Of Beluga And Stellate Sturgeons During Their Migration In The Lower Danube River, Stefan Honţ, Marian Paraschiv, Marian Iani, Radu Suciu, Lucian Oprea

International Conference on Engineering and Ecohydrology for Fish Passage

Abstract:

The Lower Danube River (LDR) still supports three naturally self-sustaining species of anadromous sturgeons. Beluga sturgeons (Huso huso) and stellate sturgeons (A. stellatus) are still common while Russian sturgeons (Acipenser gueldenstaedti) became very rare. Studying their swimming behaviour is essential for understanding (i) the impact of construction works aiming to improve conditions for navigation; (ii) sturgeon behaviour in relation to Iron Gate hydropower and navigation systems; (iii) behaviour of young sturgeons during downstream migration towards the Black Sea. A significant number of wild adult sturgeons (N= 103; 39 beluga, 1 Russian and 63 stellate) was implanted with acoustic transmitters, …

Session E8: Efficiency Measurements As Tool In Evaluating Fishways, Jan H. Kemper, Quincy A. De Bruijn

International Conference on Engineering and Ecohydrology for Fish Passage

Abstract:

The awareness of the importance of free fish migration in the Netherlands is reflected in the increasing number of fishways that has been built in the past decade. The intention is that all the bottlenecks will be solved before 2027.

Equally important as the realization of fishways, is the evaluation of the design. In other words, are all species and size classes that want to pass, truly able to pass the structure. The challenge in this type of research is to avoid interference of the measuring tools with the fish migrants. The conventional monitoring fyke, does not meet this …