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Full-Text Articles in Animal Sciences
The Reproductive Biology Of Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis) In Chesapeake Bay, Carissa L. Gervasi
The Reproductive Biology Of Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis) In Chesapeake Bay, Carissa L. Gervasi
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
The Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) is an anadromous finfish that supports a lucrative fishery along the Atlantic coast of the United States and serves as a vital component of estuarine food webs. Once Striped Bass stocks were restored after crashing in the late 1980s, abundance skyrocketed to record levels. Over the past decade however, abundance has steadily declined, concurrent with an outbreak of mycobacteriosis. Disease prevalence is currently >50%, and previous research has demonstrated diseasepositive fish exhibit slower growth and increased natural mortality compared to diseasenegative fish. The purpose of this research was to provide a contemporary description of Chesapeake …
Patterns Of Population Structure And Historical Dispersal In Squaloid Sharks: A Species-Level Approach Using Molecular Markers, Ana Christina Pimenta Verissimo
Patterns Of Population Structure And Historical Dispersal In Squaloid Sharks: A Species-Level Approach Using Molecular Markers, Ana Christina Pimenta Verissimo
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Squaloids (Order Squaliformes) are a highle diverse group of mostly deepwater habitats (> 200 m). Many species are regularly caught in commercial fisheries worldwide but their low productivity and correspondingly low intrinsic rebound potentials make them particularly vulnerable to population depletion and overexploitation. of special concern to fisheries management and conservation efforts are the spiny dogfish Squalus acanthias, the leafscale gulper shark Centrophorus squamosus and the Portuguese dogfish Centroscymnus coelolepis. These taxa have recently been declared overfished in several parts of each species' distribution but management efforts have been made to recover the "stocks" without a good understanding of the …
Development Of Generalized Index-Removal Models, With Particular Attention To Catchability Issues, Thomas F. Ihde
Development Of Generalized Index-Removal Models, With Particular Attention To Catchability Issues, Thomas F. Ihde
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
The index-removal method estimates abundance, exploitation and catchability coefficient, given surveys conducted before and after a known removal. The method assumes a closed population between surveys. Index-removal has seldom been applied due to its strong assumption of constant survey catchabilities. This work generalizes the method to allow multiple years of data to be incorporated, and the assumptions of the original model to be relaxed. If catchability is constant across years, precision can be improved by analyzing multi-year data simultaneously. Two multiple-year models were developed: the first, 1qIR, assumes constant catchability within and among years; the second, 2qIR, allows catchability to …
Investigation Of The Life History Of The Cownose Ray, Rhinoptera Bonasus (Mitchill 1815), Donna S. Grusha
Investigation Of The Life History Of The Cownose Ray, Rhinoptera Bonasus (Mitchill 1815), Donna S. Grusha
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
No abstract provided.
Nursery Delineation, Movement Patterns, And Migration Of The Sandbar Shark, Carcharhinus Plumbeus, In The Eastern Shore Of Virginia Coastal Bays And Lagoons, Christina L. Conrath
Nursery Delineation, Movement Patterns, And Migration Of The Sandbar Shark, Carcharhinus Plumbeus, In The Eastern Shore Of Virginia Coastal Bays And Lagoons, Christina L. Conrath
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
The identification and delineation of nursery areas and areas of aggregation of north Atlantic sharks has been identified as an important information need for future management efforts. The objectives of this project were to use a fishery-independent method to study the overwintering area of juvenile sandbar sharks, to spatially delineate the Eastern Shore nursery area, and to examine movement patterns and space use within this nursery area. Data from 21 satellite transmitters attached to large juvenile sandbar sharks revealed that these sharks primarily occurred off the outer banks of North Carolina, at deeper depths and colder water temperatures during the …
Ichthyofaunal And Dietary Analysis Of Sympatric Piscivores In A Chesapeake Bay Littoral Zone: Including Bioenergetic Models Of Growth And Diel Temperature Sanctuary Use, Christian Harding Hager
Ichthyofaunal And Dietary Analysis Of Sympatric Piscivores In A Chesapeake Bay Littoral Zone: Including Bioenergetic Models Of Growth And Diel Temperature Sanctuary Use, Christian Harding Hager
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
The first section of this dissertation describes the ichthyofaunal community of a mesohaline Chesapeake Bay April--November. Fish assemblages were sampled using two seine gears, a small seine that sampled 352 m 2 and a 914m haul-seine that sampled 144,473 m2. The small seine collected 32 finfish species. The larger gear captured 31 finfish species, including 17 that were not sampled by small gear. Sampled diversity was greater but density estimates were similar to those determined previously by other investigators using flume-net, drop-ring, and otter trawl techniques. Nocturnal abundance of larger fishes far exceeded daylight. Fish abundance and size distribution varied …
Survival And Habitat Preferences Of White Marlin (Tetrapturus Albidus) Released From The Western North Atlantic Recreational Fishery, Andrij Z. Horodysky
Survival And Habitat Preferences Of White Marlin (Tetrapturus Albidus) Released From The Western North Atlantic Recreational Fishery, Andrij Z. Horodysky
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
No abstract provided.
Reproductive Biology Of American Shad, Alosa Sapidissima, In The Mattaponi River, Aaron Reid Hyle
Reproductive Biology Of American Shad, Alosa Sapidissima, In The Mattaponi River, Aaron Reid Hyle
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
No abstract provided.
Biology Of Mated Triploid Crassostrea Ariakensis In Multiple Environments: Gametogenesis, Sex Ratio, Disease Prevalence, And Reversion, Alan J. Erskine
Biology Of Mated Triploid Crassostrea Ariakensis In Multiple Environments: Gametogenesis, Sex Ratio, Disease Prevalence, And Reversion, Alan J. Erskine
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
No abstract provided.
A Genetic Analysis Of The Intraspecific Relationships Of Tropical Marine Shorefishes Common To Bermuda And The Southeastern Atlantic Coast Of The United States, Kelly R. Johnson
A Genetic Analysis Of The Intraspecific Relationships Of Tropical Marine Shorefishes Common To Bermuda And The Southeastern Atlantic Coast Of The United States, Kelly R. Johnson
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
No abstract provided.
Historical Diet Analysis Of Loggerhead (Caretta Caretta) And Kemp's Ridley (Lepidochelys Kempi) Sea Turtles In Virginia, Erin E. Seney
Historical Diet Analysis Of Loggerhead (Caretta Caretta) And Kemp's Ridley (Lepidochelys Kempi) Sea Turtles In Virginia, Erin E. Seney
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
The Chesapeake Bay and coastal waters of Virginia, U.S.A. serve as foraging grounds for loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempi) sea turtles from approximately May to October each year. Both loggerheads and Kemp’s ridleys are known to feed primarily on benthic invertebrates as juveniles and adults, but specific prey preferences vary between geographic regions. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science Sea Turtle Program has collected diet data and gut samples from stranded and incidentally caught sea turtles in Virginia since 1979. Examination of turtles that stranded in Virginia during the late 1970s and early 1980s indicated that loggerheads …
Diet Composition Of Young-Of-The-Year Bluefish, Pomatomus Saltatrix, In The Lower Chesapeake Bay And Virginia's Coastal Ocean, James Gartland
Diet Composition Of Young-Of-The-Year Bluefish, Pomatomus Saltatrix, In The Lower Chesapeake Bay And Virginia's Coastal Ocean, James Gartland
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
No abstract provided.
Evaluation Of Opercular Bones For Aging Eight Species Of Chesapeake Bay Fishes, Ann M. Sipe
Evaluation Of Opercular Bones For Aging Eight Species Of Chesapeake Bay Fishes, Ann M. Sipe
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
No abstract provided.
Growth Patterns Of Three Species Of Catfish (Ictaluridae) From Three Virginia Tributaries Of The Chesapeake Bay, William J. Connelly
Growth Patterns Of Three Species Of Catfish (Ictaluridae) From Three Virginia Tributaries Of The Chesapeake Bay, William J. Connelly
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
No abstract provided.
Reproductive Biology Of Atlantic Croaker, Micropogonias Undulatus, In The Chesapeake Bay, Elizabeth Shaw Watkins
Reproductive Biology Of Atlantic Croaker, Micropogonias Undulatus, In The Chesapeake Bay, Elizabeth Shaw Watkins
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
No abstract provided.
Age, Growth, And Mortality Of Atlantic Croaker, Micropogonias Undulatus, In The Chesapeake Bay Region, John R. Foster
Age, Growth, And Mortality Of Atlantic Croaker, Micropogonias Undulatus, In The Chesapeake Bay Region, John R. Foster
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
No abstract provided.
Life History Attributes Of Mid-Atlantic Menidia Menidia (Pisces: Atherinidae) And A Comparison With Northern (Massachusetts) And Southern (South Carolina) Populations, Richard K. Holmquist
Life History Attributes Of Mid-Atlantic Menidia Menidia (Pisces: Atherinidae) And A Comparison With Northern (Massachusetts) And Southern (South Carolina) Populations, Richard K. Holmquist
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
No abstract provided.
Nursery Delineation, Habitat Utilization, Movements, And Migration Of Juvenile Carcharhinus Plumbeus In Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, United States Of America, R. Dean. Grubbs
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Chesapeake Bay is possibly the largest summer nursery for Carcharhinus plumbeus in the western Atlantic. Longline sampling conducted from 1990--1999 was used to delineate this nursery spatially and temporally. Catch data from 83 longline stations sampled throughout the Virginia Chesapeake Bay were analyzed as a function of nine physical and environmental variables to delineate this nursery spatially. Tree-based models determined which variables best discriminated between stations with high and low catches and indicated that complex distribution patterns could be adequately modeled with few variables. The highest abundance of juvenile sharks was predicted where salinity was greater than 20.5 and depth …
Maturation And Repeat Spawning By American Shad In The York River, Virginia, Kristin L. Maki
Maturation And Repeat Spawning By American Shad In The York River, Virginia, Kristin L. Maki
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
No abstract provided.
Biology Of The Spotted Seatrout, Cynoscion Nebulosus, In The Chesapeake Bay Region, Thomas F. Ihde
Biology Of The Spotted Seatrout, Cynoscion Nebulosus, In The Chesapeake Bay Region, Thomas F. Ihde
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
No abstract provided.
Seasonal Residence, Movement, And Activity Patterns Of Adult Tautog, Tautoga Onitis, In Lower Chesapeake Bay, Michael D. Arendt
Seasonal Residence, Movement, And Activity Patterns Of Adult Tautog, Tautoga Onitis, In Lower Chesapeake Bay, Michael D. Arendt
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
No abstract provided.
A Framework For Construction And Analysis Of Juvenile Abundance Indices For American Shad (Alosa Sapidissima) In The York River, Virginia, Mary Lynn Aiken
A Framework For Construction And Analysis Of Juvenile Abundance Indices For American Shad (Alosa Sapidissima) In The York River, Virginia, Mary Lynn Aiken
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
No abstract provided.
Osteology, Phylogeny, And Biogeography Of The Marine Fish Family Ephippidae (Perciformes, Acanthuroidei), With Comments On Sister Group Relationships, Martin Ray Cavalluzzi
Osteology, Phylogeny, And Biogeography Of The Marine Fish Family Ephippidae (Perciformes, Acanthuroidei), With Comments On Sister Group Relationships, Martin Ray Cavalluzzi
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
The marine fish family Ephippidae comprises eight genera and 15 species of extant fishes. Spadefishes or batfishes inhabit nearshore tropical to temperate waters. They are almost circumglobal in distribution, with the highest diversity in the Indo-west Pacific and the lowest diversity in the east Pacific and west Atlantic. Fifty-nine potentially informative morphological characters, 10 outgroup taxa, and eight ingroup taxa (i.e., genera) were used to explore sister group hypotheses to the Ephippidae, as well as generate a phylogeny of the Ephippidae. Seven constraint tree analyses were utilized to examine various sister group hypotheses based on previous morphological and molecular analyses …
Sensory Development In Settlement-Stage Larvae Of Caribbean Labrids And Scarids: A Comparative Study With Implications For Ecomorphology And Life History Strategies, Monica R. Lara
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
The sensory capabilities of settlement-stage fishes are unknown but this information is necessary to studies of larval settlement and recruitment. The morphology of the cephalic lateral line, eye and external olfactory organ of thirteen species of settlement-stage Caribbean labroids was described. Scanning electron images of the cephalic lateral line neuromasts, lateral line canals and olfactory epithelia and histological studies of the retinae and morphological measurements of visual acuity were used to assess the level of sensory development attained at settlement. The sensory capabilities of settlement-stage fishes are discussed in relation to the possible cues settlement-stage fishes may be using to …
A Comparison Of Size Selectivity And Relative Efficiency Of Sea Scallop Trawls And Dredges, David B. Rudders
A Comparison Of Size Selectivity And Relative Efficiency Of Sea Scallop Trawls And Dredges, David B. Rudders
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
No abstract provided.
Oyster Reef Broodstock Enhancement In The Great Wicomico River, Virginia, Melissa Southworth
Oyster Reef Broodstock Enhancement In The Great Wicomico River, Virginia, Melissa Southworth
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
No abstract provided.
Tagging And Habitat Utilization Of Juvenile Summer Flounder, Paralichthys Dentatus, Richard Thomas Kraus
Tagging And Habitat Utilization Of Juvenile Summer Flounder, Paralichthys Dentatus, Richard Thomas Kraus
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
No abstract provided.
Comparative Evolution Of Molecular Markers: An Analysis Of Genetic Variation Within The Blue Marlin (Makaira Nigricans), Vincent Patrick Buonaccorsi
Comparative Evolution Of Molecular Markers: An Analysis Of Genetic Variation Within The Blue Marlin (Makaira Nigricans), Vincent Patrick Buonaccorsi
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Blue marlin diversity was assessed at mtDNA, scnDNA, microsatellite DNA, and allozyme molecular markers. Hierarchical analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that most genetic variation was maintained within populations, with a non-significant fraction attributable to variation among temporal replicates and between locations within oceans. In contrast, inter-ocean divergence was highly significant for a majority of loci within each marker class. Previous studies of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA; n = 104) genetic variation within the blue marlin revealed two distinct clades of haplotypes, one of which was present only in the Atlantic (the 'Atlantic clade'), at a frequency of 40% &(F\sb{lcub}st{rcub}& = …
Caribbean Spiny Lobster And Their Molluscan Prey: Are Top-Down Forces Key In Structuring Prey Assemblages In A Florida Bay Seagrass System, Martha Nizinski
Caribbean Spiny Lobster And Their Molluscan Prey: Are Top-Down Forces Key In Structuring Prey Assemblages In A Florida Bay Seagrass System, Martha Nizinski
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Relative importance of predator-prey dynamics and several environmental variables in structuring gastropod and bivalve diversity and distribution was investigated in the subtropical seagrass and macroalgal community of Florida Bay, a highly productive system and primary nursery and foraging ground for finfish and invertebrate predators, including the numerically dominant Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus. The molluscan assemblage, a primary food source for P. argus in particular, is speciose (75 gastropod and 25 bivalve species) and a significant component of epifaunal and infaunal invertebrate assemblages within Florida Bay. Two experimental areas, located within separate basins and each comprised of two experimental sites, …
Biogeography Of Amphi-Atlantic And Amphi-American Fishes: The Scomberomorus Regalis (Scombridae), Strongylura Marina (Belonidae) And Hyporhamphus Unifasciatus (Hemiramphidae) Species Groups, Heidi M. Banford
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Phylogenetic and historical biogeographic hypotheses were explored for three groups of teleost fishes that are hypothesized to share a common biogeographic track. Distributed across the eastern Pacific/eastern Atlantic (EP/EA) biogeographic track of Rosen (1975) are the Scomberomorus regalis (Scombridae), Strongylura marina (Belonidae) and Hyporhamphus unifasciatus (Hemiramphidae) species groups comprised of one eastern Atlantic; three, three and four western Atlantic; and two, two and four eastern Pacific species, respectively, for each group. In addition, two species in the Strongylura marina and Hyporhamphus unifasciatus groups, have invaded freshwater drainages of Central and South America. Each of the three species groups were found …