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Abstract--A remote underwater video camera system was used to observe black sea bass (Centropristis striata) on natural bottom habitats in waters off Maryland. Videos were collected from June to August [...]

Abstract--The red deepsea crab (Chaceon quinquedens) supports a small fishery of 1000 m), move upslope during adolescence, and become mature in the shallowest strata, before undergoing an ontogenetic migration back [...]

Abstract--With the southern New England lobster fishery in distress, lobster fishermen have focused more effort toward harvesting channeled whelk (Busycotypus canaliculatus). However, minimal research has been conducted on the life [...]

ABSTRACT Climate change may affect crab populations via thermal effects on embryo development and hatching. To test this, we measured the duration of development and hatching for the embryos of [...]

ABSTRACT In this paper the embryonic development of laboratory-reared blue king crab, Paralithodes platypus, from the Pribilof Islands in the eastern Bering Sea is described. Developing embryos were removed from [...]

ABSTRACT Artificial habitats or reefs have been used to mitigate for alteration of marine habitats and increase populations of desirable marine species. In Kodiak, Alaska, breakwater construction covered 3.5 ha [...]

Abstract--An analysis of in situ growth rate was conducted for juvenile red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Growth of early juveniles (~2-40 mm CL; age 0-3 yr) [...]

Fishing has many types of impacts on the marine environment. Degradation of seafloor habitats by trawling has been widely studied, along with bycatch mortality, and ghost fishing by traps. Traps or pots are commonly used for catching crustaceans and other organisms, but little research has been conducted on the environmental impacts of trap fishing. Trap fishing causes direct impacts on benthic habitats during setting and retrieval, including dragging along the seafloor, which can lead to the damage and destruction of habitat components such as corals, sponges, and other epifauna. Lines connecting multiple traps increase the overall footprint and cause additional damage. Lost traps and debris can cause damage to coral, submerged aquatic vegetation, and epifauna, especially if moved by storms. Although the trap footprint is small, movement of the trap can expand the impact footprint by an order of magnitude. Trap lines cause whale entanglement and death, and there is much interest in reducing the number of vertical lines as well as their potential for entanglement. New technologies for deploying, locating, and recovering traps are now being developed. The future of trap fisheries will require research on new ways to reduce their negative impacts on benthic and pelagic resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the physiological and behavioral maturity of the red deep-sea crab, Chaceon quinquedens (Smith, 1879), using ovary and oocyte development and morphological features to estimate the size at 50% sexual maturity (SM50) for females in the Mid-Atlantic Bight. This economically important species inhabits the continental shelf and slope of the western Atlantic from Nova Scotia, Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Samples were collected by trawling in 2011–2013 and by traps in 2014–2016. We used histological analysis to describe the stages of ovarian development. Five stages of ovarian development were identified: 1, immature; 2, early maturing; 3, late maturing; 4, mature; and 5, redeveloping. A logistic model was used to estimate the SM50 using maximum likelihood methods. Physiological SM50 varied among geographic locations and was estimated at 61.2 mm CL and 70.8 mm CL for females collected near Hudson Canyon and Baltimore and Norfolk canyons, respectively. Behavioral SM50 decreased with latitude and was estimated at 53.9 mm CL, 62.5 mm CL and 65.5 mm CL for Hudson, Baltimore, and Norfolk canyons, respectively. Results implied asynchrony between physiological and behavioral sexual maturity, suggesting that mating occurs prior to completion of ovarian development. This study provides the first evidence of a latitudinal trend in sexual maturity for C. quinquedens. Further investigation is needed to understand the cause of the latitudinal trend as our study presented limitations. Results provide useful information for fisheries management about the reproductive biology of C. quinquedens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study briefly examined the simultaneous use of 2 gear types, single underwater video and hook-and- line, for sampling black sea bass (Centropristis striata) in Mid-Atlantic waters off the Maryland (USA) coast. Fish were sampled from 4 July to 3 August 2012 at two locations with varying bottom habitats ranging from sand and mud to natural hard bottom. First, the relationship between estimates of abundance of black sea bass sampled with the two gear types was examined using least-squares regression analysis. Second, abundance estimates were compared using linear mixed-effects models to determine whether abundance differed between the two sampling locations. In general, positive linear relationships were found between abundance estimates produced by underwater video and hook-and-line sampling methods. Abundance estimates of fish sampled with both gears was also found to be greater for the location with more complex bottom habitat. The results suggest that, if utilized together, both gear types have the potential to provide useful information about the abundance of black sea bass in Mid-Atlantic coastal waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish traps were soaked for long (d) and short (min) intervals to examine the relationship between the catch of Black Sea BassCentropristis striataand soak time for traps used in the Middle Atlantic Bight commercial fishery. First, we soaked traps over a 14-d period to examine how catch changes over time and modeled catch as a function of soak time using two three-parameter models from the literature. Maximum catches were obtained after 11 soak days before declining. Models applied to catch and soak time data fit reasonably well and may be used to correct for changes in soak time to develop abundance estimates. Second, we used a modified trap equipped with video cameras to observe fish interactions, including entry and escapement dynamics with traps over short (~60 min) soak times. Out of all the fish that were observed entering the trap, 48 (84.2%) exited while 9 (15.8%) were caught. Patterns for cumulative distributions of entries and exits indicated that entry and escapement behaviors may lead to saturation in Black Sea Bass traps used in the Middle Atlantic Bight. Additional study is needed to examine the dynamics of the saturation process and to elucidate how well trap catches reflect true abundance. Received February 2, 2016; accepted September 7, 2016 Published online December 20, 2016 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]