Animal Sciences Commons^™

Shallow Water Resource Use Conflicts: Clam Aquaculture And Submerged Aquatic Vegetation, Center For Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

No abstract provided.

Preliminary Observations Of Barndoor Skates (Raja Laevis) On Georges Bank, Todd Gedamke, William D. Dupaul

Reports

An article published in Science magazine last year (Casey and Myers, 1998) has generated increased concern about the status of the barndoor skate (Raja laevis) in the North Atlantic. Very little information is available and a better understanding of the barndoor's life history, distribution and abundance is necessary for proper management. This document serves to provide preliminary data from an ongoing study that may aid in the current understanding of the barndoor skate population ..

Estimation Of Relative Abundance Of Recreationally Important Finfish In The Virginia Portion Of The Chesapeake Bay : Annual Progress Report July 1998 - June 1999, Patrick J. Geer, Herbert M. Austin

Reports

Measures of juvenile abundance are presently in wide use as a key element in the management of the Atlantic States' coastal fishery resources. Estimates of the relative interannual abundance of early juveniles (age-0) generated from scientific (fishery-independent) survey programs have been found to provide a reliable and early estimator of future year class strength (Goodyear 1985, Lipcius and Van Engel 1990). After a review of previously available indices of juvenile abundance for important fishery resource species in the Chesapeake Bay, the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee (CBSAC), a federal/state committee sponsored and funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration …

Ecological Functions Of Constructed Oyster Reefs Along An Environmental Gradient In Chesapeake Bay: Final Report, Fx O'Beirn, Mark Luckenbach, Roger L. Mann, J Harding, J Nestlerode

Reports

Oyster reef habitat restoration within the Chesapeake Bay has as its objectives not only the enhancement of the commercially important oyster stocks, but also the restoration of associated assemblages of organisms and, most importantly, the restoration of ecological functions associated with natural reef communities. Despite our efforts to date, many uncertainties still exist with respect to achieving these restoration goals. These include long-term information on the temporal sequence of community development on new reef substrate, evaluating oyster recruitment patterns (a) across restored reef systems and (b) in relation to resident brood stocks.

In this study we sought to characterize the …

The Crest, Summer 1999, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Table of Contents:

• New Research Aquarium System
• Finfish Aquaculture at VIMS
• Virginia Creates State Research Reserve System
• Pollution-Laden Sediments In Constant Flux
• Survey of Mid-Atlantic Sea Scallop Closed Areas
• Pfiesteria Update
• New Computer Program Helps Planners Balance Growth, Protection
• Virginia Sea Grant to Administer Commercial Fishery Resource Program
• VIMS Stranded Sea Turtle Project Underway Coastal Sediments Offer Clues to Climate Change, Pollution
• Seemingly Barren Habitat Proves Vital for Economically Important Virginia Fish (juvenile flounder)

Evaluation Of Fixed Gear For The Capture Of Summer Flounder In Coastal Waters Of Virginia, Robert A. Fisher, David Rudders

Reports

No abstract provided.

Chesapeake Bay Oyster Restoration : Consensus Of A Meeting Of Scientific Experts, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science, Wachapreague, Virginia, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science, Chesapeake Research Consortium

Reports

A small group of oyster experts from Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina met at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science Eastern Shore Laboratory, Wachapreague, VA on January 18, 1999 to recommend measures to restore and protect the oyster resource of the Chesapeake Bay.

Juvenile Fish And Blue Crab Stock Assessment Program Bottom Trawl Survey Annual Data Summary Report Volume 1998, Patrick J. Geer

Reports

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) has conducted a trawl survey dating back to 1955. Over the years methods and objectives have varied according to funding sources and state and/or federal mandates.· The present thmst of the program is to provide juvenile indices of relative abundance for recreationally, commercially, and ecologically important fish and invertebrates. These measures of juvenile abundance are widely used as a key element in the management of the Atlantic States' coastal fishery resources. Estimates of juveniles (age-0) have proven to be a reliable and early indicator offuture year-class strength. A review of previously available indices …

Fish And Fisheries Of The Seaside Of The Eastern Shore Of Virginia, John A. Musick, John J. Norcross, David Hata

Reports

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Striped Bass Stocks In Virginia: Monitoring Studies, 1993-1998 Completion Report 1 September 1997 - 31 October 1998, Philip W. Sadler, Robert E. Harris Jr., Jason Romine, John E. Olney Sr.

Reports

To document continued compliance with Federal law, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) Anadromous Program (AP) has monitored the size and age composition, sex ratio and maturity schedules of the spawning striped bass stock in the Rappahannock River since December 1981 utilizing commercial pound nets and, since 1991, variable-mesh experimental anchored gill nets. Spawning stock assessment was expanded to include the James River in 1994 utilizing extant commercial fyke nets and variable-mesh experimental gill nets. The use of fyke nets was discontinued after 1997. Tagging programs have been conducted in the James and Rappahannock rivers since 1987 in conjunction …

Antigenic And Functional Characterization Of P57 Produced By Renibacterium Salmoninarum, Gd Wiens, Ms Chien, Jr Winton, Sl Kaattari

VIMS Articles

Renibacterium salmoninarum, the causative agent of bacterial kidney disease, produces large quantities of a 57-58 kDa protein (p57) during growth in broth culture and during infection of salmonid fish. Biological activities of secreted p57 include agglutination of salmonid leucocytes and rabbit erythrocytes. We define the location of epitopes on p57 recognized by agglutination-blocking monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) 4C11, 4H8 and 4D3, and demonstrate that the majority of secreted p57 is a monomer that retains salmonid leucocyte agglutinating activity. The 3 MAbs bound a recombinant, amino-terminal fragment of p57 (211 aa) but not a carboxy-terminal fragment (315 aa) demonstrating that the neutralizing …

Elevated Temperature Treatment As A Novel Method For Decreasing P57 On The Cell Surface Of Renibacterium Salmoninarum, Jon D. Piganelli, Gregory D. Weins, Stephen L. Kaattari

VIMS Articles

Renibacterium salmoninarum is a Gram-positive diplo-bacillus and the causative agent of bacterial kidney disease, a prevalent disease of salmonid fish. Virulent isolates of R. salmoninarum have a hydrophobic cell surface and express the 57-58 kDa protein (p57). Here we have investigated parameters which effect cell hydrophobicity and p57 degradation. Incubation of R, salmoninarum cells at 37 degrees C for >4 h decreased cell surface hydrophobicity as measured by the salt aggregation assay, and decreased the amount of cell associated p57. Incubation of cells at lower temperatures (22, 17, 4 or -20 degrees C) for up to 16 h did not …

Results Of Modifications To Sea Scallop Dredge Twine Tops To Facilitate The Reduction Of Finfish Bycatch: Georges Bank Closed Area Ii Experimental Fishery September-October 1998, William D. Dupaul, David B. Rudders, David Kerstetter

Reports

No abstract provided.

Status Of The Major Oyster Diseases In Virginia 1998 A Summary Of The Annual Monitoring Program, Lisa M. Ragone Calvo, Eugene M. Burreson

Reports

No abstract provided.

Teleost Antibody Structure: Simple Prototype Or Elegant Alternative?, Sl Kaattari, Jv Klemer, Da Evans

VIMS Articles

Teleosts possess mechanism(s) by which they can generate considerable structural diversity within their tetrameric antibody molecules. In salmonids, this diversity is generated through a process of random polymerisation of the constituent monomeric subunits rather than dependency upon isotypic gene diversity. Thus, one gene product can give rise to as many as six different structural forms of immunoglobulin. In contrast to mammals, evidence suggests that this polymerisation process occurs late in the secretory process and not within the endoplasmic reticulum. This assembly process is likely to be important in the generation of teleost antibody functional diversity, thereby potentially simulating isotypy.

Isolation Of Aphanomyces Sp(P). Associated With Skin Lesions And Mortalities In The Striped (Mugil Cephalus) And The Thin Lip (Liza Ramada) Grey Mullets, Aa Shaheen, E Elsayed, M Faisal

VIMS Articles

Aphanomyces spp. were isolated from skin erosions and ulcers of cultured Striped and thin lip grey mullets. Fungi with non-septated hyphae were found in wet mount preparations of skin. Samples inoculated on glucose peptone liquid medium for three successive steps then mycelial growths were transferred into glucose peptone yeast extract agar medium. Aphanomyces spp. were successfully isolated, in axenic cultures, from seven out of 35 fish samples. The cultures were maintained on glucose peptone yeast extract liquid media. Formation of sporangia in tap water that contained hemp seeds confirmed that the grey mullet isolates are members of tlx genus Aphanomyces. …

Environmental Factors And The Infectious Disease Caused By The Protozoan Parasite, Perkinsus Marinus, In Eastern Oysters (Crassostrea Virginica), Fle Chu

VIMS Articles

Temperature and salinity are two important factors limiting the distribution and abundance of Perkinsus marinus, a protozoan parasite of Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica). Results of laboratory studies ale consistent with field observations and clearly demonstrate that P. marinus susceptibility and disease advancement are positively correlated with temperature, salinity and in situ number of infective cells. Laboratory findings also suggest that environmental degradation may enhance the epizootic, although disease caused by P. marinus in oysters is known to be predominantly exacerbated by elevated temperature and salinity. Oysters cellular defence mechanisms appear ineffective in defence against P. marinus. Also, pollutant esposure caused …

Morphometric Separation Of Annual Cohorts Within Mid-Atlantic Bluefish, Pomatomus Saltatrix, Using Discriminant Function Analysis, Herbert Austin, Daniel Scoles, Allison J. Abell

VIMS Articles

Larval and tagging studies neither support nor refute the existence of two mid-Atlantic stocks of bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix, one that spawns just south of Hatteras, North Carolina, in the spring, and the other off New England in the summer. Subsequent studies have suggested either a continuous spawning with two survival events, or two distinct spawning events, one in spring south of Hatteras, NC, and a second in mid-summer from Long Island to New England. Genetic studies have supported a single stock because they show the existence of a single gene pool. A stepwise linear discriminant function analysis (DFA) of morphometrics …

Potential Role Of Protease-Antiprotease Interactions In Perkinsus Marinus Infection In Crassostrea Spp., M Faisal, Jl Oliver, Sl Kaataari

VIMS Articles

Perkinsus marinus causes devastating losses in populations of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica). Our studies have demonstrated that P. marinus secretes extracellular serine proteases which enhance parasite propagation and compromise host defences. Crassostrea virginica. however, possesses several inhibitors of these proteases. The Pacific oyster (C. gigas) is resistant to P. marinus and possesses protease inhibitors with significantly higher specific activities than those in C. virginica. Interestingly, Crassostrea spp. themselves, elaborate metalloprotease activities which can be detected in their plasma, and are increased during P. marinus infections. Together our work suggests that there may be a broad spectrum of humoral host …

Breeding Bird Communities Of A Managed Forest Landscape In Coastal North Carolina: 1999 Report, M. D. Wilson, B. D. Watts

CCB Technical Reports

Recent concern for the status of North American bird populations has resulted in an escalation of monitoring and management efforts. Much of this effort has been focused on declining forest-dwelling species that migrate between breeding areas in North America and wintering areas in Latin America and the Caribbean. Fragmentation of temperate forests has been shown to negatively affect many of these species by exposing them to higher rates of predation and brood parasitism, resulting in lower productivity and survivorship. Weyerhaeuser Company is the largest private landowner in North Carolina. Because of the extent and geographic location of current landholdings, Weyerhaeuser's …

Use Of Molecular Tools For Mollusc Disease Diagnosis, Fcj Berthe, Em Burreson, M Hine

VIMS Articles

Recently, an increasing number of research teams arc engaged in developing DNA-based diagnostic techniques for mollusc pathogens. These techniques are slowly moving from development in specialised laboratories for research purposes, to routine application and are expected to find an increasing use in routine disease monitoring programs in mollusc aquaculture and in efforts to prevent the spread of pathogens within and between nations. Considering the probable development and interest in these diagnostic techniques, the potential for wide applications in aquaculture and the inherent problems currently associated with their use, it appears necessary to address these issues.

Comparative Field Study Of Crassostrea Gigas (Thunberg, 1793) And Crassostrea Virginica (Gmelin, 1791) In Relation To Salinity In Virginia, Gustavo W. Calvo, Mark Luckenbach, Standish K. Allen, Eugene Burreson

VIMS Articles

To evaluate and compare the performance of triploid juvenile C. gigas (mean shell height = 19.2 mm) and triploid juvenile Crassostrea virginica (mean shell height = 31.7 mm), 600 oysters of each species were deployed for 1 year in floating mesh cages at three replicate sites within low, medium, and high salinity regimes (respectively,25%) in the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Coast of Virginia. The comparative performance of the two oyster species varied with salinity. At low salinity sites, cumulative mortality of C. virginica (10%) was significantly (P < .05) lower than that of C. gigas (63%), and over-all mean growth rate of C. virginica (2.9 mm mo(-1)) was significantly (P < .05) higher than that of C. gigas (1.6 mm mo(-1)). At medium salinity sites, survival and growth rate of C. virginica and C. gigas were nor significantly (P > .05) different. Both species experienced moderately high cumulative mortality at the medium …

Age, Growth, Longevity, And Mortality Of Blackcheek Tonguefish, Symphurus Plagiusa (Cynoglossidae : Pleuronectiformes), In Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, Mark R. Terwilliger, Thomas A. Munroe

VIMS Articles

Age structure, longevity, and mortality were determined for a population of blackcheek tonguefish, Symphurus plagiusa, in Chesapeake Bay. Blackcheek tonguefish (36-202 mm TL) were randomly collected by means of otter trawl in lower Chesapeake Bay and major Virginia tributaries (James, York, and Rappahannock rivers) from April 1994 through August 1995. Ages were determined by interpreting growth increments on thin transverse sections of sagittal otoliths. Marginal increment analysis showed that a single annulus was formed in June of each year. Blackcheek tonguefish caught during this study reached a maximum age of 5+ years. Growth was rapid during the first year, then …

Estimation Of Juvenile Striped Bass Relative Abundance In The Virginia Portion Of Chesapeake Bay, January 1998-December 1998 : Annual Progress Report, Herbert M. Austin, A. Dean Estes, Donald M. Seaver

Reports

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) has conducted a juvenile striped bass seine survey from 1967 through 1973 and from 1980 through the present. The primary objective has been the monitoring of the relative annual recruitment success of juvenile striped bass in the spawning and to the nursery areas of Lower Chesapeake Bay. Initially (1967-1973), the survey was funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and when reinstated in 1980 with funding from the National Marine Fisheries Service-under the Emergency Striped Bass Study program Commencing with the 1988 annual survey, support of the program has been jointly made …

Enhancement Of Seed Oyster Recovery And Redeployment: Final Report, William Magann

Reports

Today's task involved loading harvesting bag with 1,220 lbs of ballast stone and hanging in test frame. This test will test support straps for fraying or unraveling and test overall for bag durability.

Comparing Oyster Seed Growth Rates Using A Floating Upweller System (“Flupsy”) Vs. Traditional Taylor Floats, Jeff Gardner

Reports

The fisheries Grant R G 99-20 to Study Oyster seed Growth using a FLUPSY (floating upweller system) vs. traditional bag/float system was a ve1y successful project. We were able after two years to reach interesting and informative conclusions. A "Report Summary "section is attached following this narrative.

Exploratory Field Evaluation Of Hook-Release Mortality In Tautog (Tautoga Onitis) In Lower Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, John A. Lucy, Michael D. Arendt

Reports

In April 1996, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission approved a Tautog Fishery Management Plan (FMP) requiring states to systematically adopt a 14 in. (356 mm) TL minimum size limit. Release-mortality was assumed to be 25%. Between October and December 1997-1998, 299 tautog (235-520 mm TL; 9-20 in.) were caught using angling gear to estimate release mortality in Virginia's tautog fishery. Fishing occurred at shallow (3-10 m; 10-33 ft.) and deep (12-17 m; 39-56 ft.) water depths at temperatures between 9-l 8°C ( 48-64°F). Tautog were tagged, accumulated in aerated livewells, then returned to depth of capture in galvanized wire …

An Introduction To Culturing Oysters In Virginia, Mark Luckenbach, Francis X. O'Beirn, Jake Taylor

Reports

This document is intended to respond to a growing demand for information on intensive, off-bottom aquaculture of the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, in Virginia and neighboring coastal states. Over the past few years the number of individuals involved in intensive oyster aquaculture in Virginia has increased dramatically, and we now estimate that over 2000 separate off-bottom oyster culture operations are underway within the coastal waters of Virginia. Individuals involved in this activity include non-commercial gardeners, traditional watermen and members of the well-established hard clam aquaculture industry. In addition to growing oysters for personal consumption and marketing, an increasing number of …

The Status Of Virginia's Public Oyster Resource 1998, Melissa Southworth, Juliana Harding, Roger L. Mann

Reports

This report summarizes data collected during 1998 in the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay. The report is composed of two parts, part one, oyster recruitment (shell string) in Virginia and part two, dredge survey of selected oyster bars in Virginia.

The Crest, Winter 1999, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Table of Contents:

• Experimental Fishery on Georges Bank Holds Promise for the Scallop Industry
• New VIMS Center Boosts Aquafarming
• Invader Threatens Stressed Ecosystem (Rapa Whelk)
• Microscopic Phytoplankton Live Large
• Reality By the Numbers (Computer Modeling)
• Tautog Research
• Latest Returns From the Game Fish Tagging Program
• Educational Landscape Center (VIMS Teaching Marsh)
• Responding to the Chesapeake Executive Council Directive for Wetlands Protection and Restoration Goals
• Dangers to Blue Crabs Accelerating