Data from Virginia-Maryland cooperative fish trawl surveys in Chesapeake Bay - 1957 and 1958 (original) (raw)
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BACKGROUND The Chesapeake 2000 (C2K) Agreement commits regional jurisdictions to implement multispecies approaches to fisheries management. The potential for biological interactions and technical interactions within traditional single species management has motivated the development of multispecies approaches. Houde et al. (1998)1 reported the recommendations of a workshop to explore the utility and advisability of adopting multispecies approaches in Chesapeake Bay. An important conclusion of the workshop was the development of coordinated, baywide surveys to estimate key species abundances and to provide biological data on both economically and ecologically important species that are currently lacking (Houde et al. op. cit.). Since 1995, we have conducted research that seeks to provide information that will be needed to design a suitable baywide multispecies survey in support of C2K commitments. This research has several objectives that directly address issues relating to the desig...
2001
Of the 38 federally managed species in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, 28 have been documented to occur in Chesapeake Bay. Of these 28 species, 21 have been captured by the VIMS Trawl and Seine Surveys since 1988. Catch information for these surveys is examined to determine essential fish habitat for each of these species in the Virginia portion of Chesapeake Bay. For abundant species, both juvenile and adult components of the life history are examined, with less abundant species represented by only total catch. This examination of habitat usage is limited to an analyses of hydrographic parameters such as water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, and depth. In addition to these parameters spatial and temporal components of distribution are presented for each species (and life stage when applicable). Salinity and temperature appear to be the most influential factors in determining distribution of most species. These surveys presented here sample from the Atlantic Ocean to the freshwater portions of several major tributaries nearly 80 miles upstream on a near continuous monthly basis. For most species, there is a clear preference towards waters within a specific salinity range. Since many of these species are migratory and only seasonally present in the Bay, there is also often a strong preference in regards to water temperature as well. To further understand the habitat requirements of these and other Chesapeake Bay species, live bottom types (sponge, sav, hydroids, etc) are being examined (since 1998) in an attempt to find relationships between their densities and fish abundance. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thanks is expressed to the many individuals who have participated in field collections over the years, often under difficult and arduous circumstances, especially Captains Deane Estes, Don Seaver, and Paul Gerdes, Hank Brooks, Wendy Lowery, Todd Mathes, and Bob Wood. A special thanks to Hank Brooks for organizing, printing, and copying the final edition and distributing to interested parties.
Chesapeake Bay Trophic Interactions Laboratory Services (CTILS)
2006
Stomach samples or whole fish were obtained from a network of up to eight participating fisheries surveys in the Chesapeake Bay area. Field supplies and sample transport were provided by CTILS. Whole fish were processed for length, weight, and sex determination. Stomachs were removed and analyzed in the laboratory and prey types determined. In support of ecosystem-based fisheries management, estimates of locationspecific diet composition were produced for each species. Comparisons of dietary habits of each species among a range of habitats in the Bay and throughout various time frames were made.
Beach zone fish community structure in the James River, Virginia
1978
A seining survey of the fish fauna of the beach zone in the James River, Virginia, was conducted from July to December 1977. Weekly collections were made at 4 stations resulting in the capture of 17,602 individuals representing 36 species. Abundance and diversity were influenced by large catches of schooling and migratory species utilizing nearshore areas as a nursery ground. Freshwater species diversity peaked in August and September, while mesohaline species diversity peaked in July, September, and November. Cluster analysis was used to define 3 freshwater station groups representing warm, moderate, and cool water temperatures, but was not helpful in analyzing mesohaline stations.