Long Bay hypoxia study: A collaborative and multidisciplinary approach

The nearshore waters along the Myrtle Beach area are oceanographically referred to as Long Bay. Long Bay is the last in a series of semi-circular indentations located along the South Atlantic seaboard. The Bay extends for approximately 150 km from the Cape Fear River in North Carolina to Winyah Bay in South Carolina and has a number of small inlets (Figure 1). This region of the S.C. coast, commonly referred to as the “Grand Strand,” has a significant tourism base that accounts for a substantial portion of the South Carolina economy (i.e., 40% of the state’s total in 2002) (TIAA 2003). In 2004, the Grand Strand had an estimated 13.2 million visitors of which 90% went to the beach (MBCC 2006). In addition, Long Bay supports a shore-based hook and line fishery comprised of anglers fishing from recreational fishing piers, the beach, and small recreational boats just offshore. (PDF contains 4 pages)

Species Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (Mid-Atlantic): Bay anchovy

The bay anchovy occurs along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts, from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to Yucatan, Mexico (Hildebrand 1963), except for the Florida Keys where it is apparently absent (Daly 1970). (PDF contains 22 pages)

Species Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (Gulf of Mexico): Bay anchovy and Striped Anchovy

(PDF contains 24 pages)

Design of a Recreational Fishing Survey and Mark-Recapture Study for the Blue Crab, Callinectes sapidus, in Chesapeake Bay

The development of bay wide estimates of recreational harvest has been identified as a high priority by the Chesapeake Bay Scientific Advisory Committee (CBSAC) and by the Chesapeake Bay Program as reflected in the Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Fishery Management Plan (Chesapeake Bay Program 1996). In addition, the BiState Blue Crab Commission (BBCAC), formed in 1996 by mandate from the legislatures of Maryland and Virginia to advise on crab management, has also recognized the importance of estimating the levels and trends in catches in the recreational fishery. Recently, the BBCAC has adopted limit and target biological reference points. These analyses have been predicated on assumptions regarding the relative magnitude of the recreational and commercial catch. The reference points depend on determination of the total number of crabs removed from the population. In essence, the number removed by the various fishery sectors, represents a minimum estimate of the population size. If a major fishery sector is not represented, the total population will be accordingly underestimated. If the relative contribution of the unrepresented sector is constant over time and harvests the same components of the population as the other sectors, it may be argued that the population estimate derived from the other sectors is biased but still adequately represents trends in population size over time. If either of the two constraints mentioned above is not met, the validity of relative trends over time is suspect. With the recent increases in the human population in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, there is reason to be concerned that the recreational catch may not have been a constant proportion of the total harvest over time. It is important to assess the catch characteristics and the magnitude of the recreational fishery to evaluate this potential bias. (PDF contains 70 pages)

Soundings: the Newsletter of the Monterey Bay Chapter of the American Cetacean Society. 2009

(PDF contains 88 pages.)

Oyster spat set on natural clutch in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay (1939 - 1975)

Basically this report is an attempt to document trends in oyster recruitment since 1939 and to relate those trends to the actual oyster harvest throughout the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay. It is also hoped that the data as well as the charts compiled in this report will serve as a reference to aid in future studies on Chesapeake Bay oysters. A few if the major biological factors that affect the natural reproduction of the oyster and environmental degradations that may possibly affect oyster reproduction or harvest in the Chesapeake Bay are also briefly discussed. (PDF contains 32 pages)

News from Academy Bay

Royal Visit. The Vice President of Ecuador in the Galápagos. The Galápagos Marine Resources Reserve. The Charles Darwin Foundation Endowment Fund. Repatriation of Captive-bred Land Iguanas. The 1987 Flamingo Census. Experimental Plantations to Provide Building Timber. Visitors and Events at the Charles Darwin Research Station.

Worsening water quality conditions at Inner Puno Bay, Lake Titicaca, Peru, and their effect on Lemna spp. biomass

Although there have been a number of studies on aquatic conditions and the flora and fauna of Lake Titicaca over many decades, most of this work has been centred on the offshore regions of the main lake. Water quality there has been degrading and abundant growth of Lemna spp. has been developing. Lemna spp., commonly called floating duck-weed or ‘lenteja de agua’ in Puno, occurs perennially in most parts of the inner Puno Bay shore-line. In this article, the authors compare water quality changes over recent decades in shore-line regions of Inner Puno Bay and their possible effects on the distribution, abundance and biomass of Lemna spp..

(Report of the) Institute of Marine Biology and Oceanography, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone

Details are given of the Institute and its activities, in particular the research projects being undertaken. These include studies on the marine molluscs of Sierra Leone, the cockle fishery, a preliminary investigation on the fouling organisms affecting the raft-cultured oyster populations, larval oyster ecology in relation to oyster culture, preliminary studies on the reproductive cycle of the mangrove oyster (Crassostrea tulipa), and catch composition of fishes taken by beach-seines at Lumley (Freetown). Records of the west African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis) are noted.

Soundings: the Newsletter of the Monterey Bay Chapter of the American Cetacean Society. 2010

(PDF contains 92 pages.)

News from Academy Bay

Conservation problems and programmes. The giant tortoises. The land iguanas. The Hawaiian petrels. The penguins, cormorants and gulls. The fire ants. The control of introduced mammals. Botany. Marine biology. Galapagos cave faunas. Rare twin births of giant tortoises. Visitors and events at the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS).

News from Academy Bay

Recent appointments in Washington office. El Niño volume available. Ira Wiggins dies. Nominations to the Royal Society. Index to Noticias de Galápagos. Dictionaries wanted - used or new. International workshops focus on Galápagos.

Galveston Bay Migrates to the Web; DSpace Comes to Texas

This presentation describes how the Galveston Bay Bibliography and Galveston Bay Information Center projects transitioned from a paper world to electronic format. The mission of the Galveston Bay Information Center (GBIC) is to serve as a repository for information and a resource for research on Galveston Bay, its watershed, and the coastal region for all members of the Galveston Bay Community. GBIC was created in response to critical losses of data and information that were identified in the early stages of Galveston Bay National Estuary Program and includes a physical collection as well as a bibliography. With the loss of funding imminent, the administrators of GBIC recognized the need to preserve the collection and its digital bibliography in perpetuity. Enter Texas Digital Library. The University’s participation in TDL enabled GBIC to make the Galveston Bay Bibliography more robust and visible to the entire world.

A Comparison of the SNP Variation in the Calcification PMCA Gene of Lottia gigantea between a Santa Barbara Population and a More Acidic Monterey Bay Population

As the atmospheric levels of CO2 rise from human activity, the carbonic acid levels of the ocean increase, causing ocean acidification. This increase in acidity breaks down the calcified bodies that many marine organisms depend upon. Upwelling regions such as Monterey Bay in California have pH levels that are not expected to reach the open ocean for a few decades. This study reviews one of the common intertidal animals of the California coast, the Owl Limpet Lottia gigantea, and its genetic variation of the plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase (PMCA) in relation to the acidity of its environment. The PMCA protein functions in the calcification process of many organisms. Specifically in limpets, this gene functions to form its protective shell. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were found among five sections of the gene to determine variation between the acidic environment population in Monterey, California and the non-acidic environment population in Santa Barbara, California. While some variation was determined, the Monterey Bay and Santa Barbara Lottia gigantea populations are not significantly distinct at the PMCA gene. Sections B, C, and D were found to be linked. Only one location in Section B was found to have an amino acid change within an exon. Section A has the strongest connection to the sampling location. Monterey individuals were seen to be more genetically recognizable, while Santa Barbara individuals showed slightly more variation. Understanding the trends of ocean acidification, upwelling region activities, and population genetics will assist in determining how the ocean environment will behave in the future.

News from Academy Bay

Oil Spill in Galápagos. Derrame de Combustible en las Aguas de Galápagos. Beagle V: The Station's New Vessel. Children Conservationists. Niños Conservacionistas. Fruto del Empeño: Nuevo Edificio en San Cristóbal. New Building in Isla San Cristóbal. CDRS Director in Argentina. Van Straelen Gift. Change in Directorship at the CDRS. Cambio del Director en la Estación Científica. International Symposium/Workshop on the Herpetology of the Galápagos Islands: Research & Conservation.